Boscastle is 15.2 miles north of Padstow and 11.3 miles south of Bude.

The entrance to the harbour is behind Meachard Island and bends first to port then to starboard to finally wind between the piers into a drying harbour bound by walls of diagonally laid slate. The channel is steep and though there are no hidden rocks it is narrow.

 

The harbour is only accessible two hours either side of high tide. In bad weather and particularly in south westerly winds the harbour is inaccessible waves bouncing off the cliffs and running around the Meachard Island to create a maelstrom of white water. Surge is a problem at any time of the year and particularly in the winter months and can occur at any time.

 

There are records of a pier dating back to Elizabethan times and it was a major port in the 18th and 19th centuries importing limestone and coal, and exporting slate and other local produce.

It has since declined and is now a minor fishing port with a few commercial boats and several recreational boats operated by various owners.