New concrete walkways for famed Cornish swimming spot

A much-loved Cornish swimming spot has been given new concrete walkways following a campaign to fund its ongoing restoration.

The Mousehole Rock Pool opened in 1970 and its concrete walls and access paths have deteriorated significantly over the decades. For the past four years volunteer group, Friends of Mousehole Rock Pool has been working with local businesses to save the pool and were given a boost when Steve Backshall took to social media to support the cause.

In a video, shared on Friends of Mousehole Rock Pool's Facebook page, Steve said: "I'm standing right now in front of one of my favourite and most important places to me in the whole world - Mousehole Rock Pool. I'm so proud to say that myself and my wife Helen Glover are going to be the ambassadors of this magnificent place.

"It's been hugely important to my family, my kids have learned to swim here, we go looking for crabs and anemones and all sorts of other cool things here and I hope you have the same opportunity because this place rocks, quite literally."

It has taken around four years for the Marine Management Organisation to grant a licence to lay new concrete walkways around the pool due to the unique location. This licence also stipulated that black-coloured concrete must be used to blend into the surrounding rock. 

The construction work, which has just been completed, was carried out by MPL Contractors in St Just.