chidley pumps

just as you are walking from padstow town down to the beach, there are some steps and rocks down to the beach, the locals call it chidley pumps;  when the tide is in, the water level rises to cover half the stairway and the cove becomes a natural lagoon, perfect for swimming.  you just walk down the steps and swim.  its hard to believe that at other parts of the day there are just rocks and a boat launching area.  looked very cold to me, but the kids just loved it, called it their own private swimming pool!  i would say they were very brave!