Backways is a rocky cove close to Trebarwith. Looking out from Park Farm it's the V shape to the left of Trebarwith Strand. It's always quiet as few tourists know about it and it's a reasonable walk to get to.
It is great for swimming and snorkelling on a calm summer day as there are lots of interesting shaped areas of rock in the water created by a combination of quarrying and erosion from the sea which you can either explore with mask and snorkel or just swim between and sunbathe on. There are strong currents if there is a swell so we don't advise swimming unless the sea is very calm. In Spring and Autumn, look out for peregrine falcons swooping over the cliffs which nest nearby. In the winter, Backways is dramatic in a big storm with sea foam and spray from the stream blowing back up the valley and mini tornadoes of foam forming beneath the cliffs.
Backways Cove features in "The International Directory of Haunted Places":
"Backways Cove, a North Cornwall inlet just up the coast from Trebarwith Strand, is still haunted by many unidentified presences who are thought to be the spirits of shipwrecked sailors whose bodies washed up there after they drowned. Numerous ships were torn apart on the jagged rocks offshore, and the shadowy spirits of their crew are still trying to make it to shore."
The valley at Backways cove is rich in wildflowers and heathland butterflies. Notably a species of wild Camomile grows here which is rare in the rest of the country. There is a story that a cow once went missing for 3 days at backways cove and reappeared staggering drunkenly after gorging on Camomile.
The 20ft diameter water wheel on the track from Trebarwith Village to backways cove was once used to power a threshing machine in Trebarwith Farm which prior to this had been powered by horses. The drive shaft that linked it to machinery at the farm is still underneath the road.
There is even a "Legend of Backways Cove" (NB the site linked to currently has a spelling mistake, the title says "Blackways" instead of "Backways").
Between Tregardock and Backways Cove is the remains of Treligga Aerodrome (HMS Vulture II). Both the observation/control tower and the reinforced hut near the sea (towards Backways cove) are derelict but still standing as is the accommodation and service huts near Treligga village.
Before the Second World War, HMS Vulture II was used as a glider site. However the Admiralty requisitioned 260 acres of land in late 1939 for the purposes of constructing an aerial bombing and gunnery range. Unusually, the entire operation at HMS Vulture II was staffed by the Women's Royal Naval Service.
On 16 September 1943 an American B-17 Flying Fortress was forced to make an emergency landing at HMS Vulture II. The pilot, Capt Jack Omohundro had ignored a red flare warning him to keep clear. The plane was chronically short of fuel and running on three engines after a raid on U-boat pens at Nantes in France. The bomber had left its formation to try and preserve what little fuel it had left. Spotting the tiny Treligga airstrip, he skillfully landed 'wheels-down' just 50 yards short of the Wrens quarters.
Directions
For hardcore hikers, you can climb several hundred steps up (and then down) along the coast path from Trebarwith Strand from near the Port William pub - as the crow flies it's probably about a quarter of a mile (however a lot of that flying is upwards!). Backways Cove is included in the routes of our two most strenous circular walks on our walks page.
Alternatively there is a more gentle walk down through the fields if you walk or drive up "Black Hill" (left) opposite the turning down to the Mill House Inn (seriously steep hill - use a low gear!) and park in Trebarwith Village (e.g. on the verge opposite Trebarwith Farm).