In 1994, in Cadgwith Bay off the Lizard in Cornwall, a fishing boat sank, and its two crew unfortunately perished.

This happened soon after many Coastguard lookouts had been closed down, and such was the depth of local feeling following the tragedy, the local community decided to establish a volunteer watch over that section of the coastline, and so the National Coastwatch Institution was born.

National Coastwatch has gone on to establish over 60 lookout stations around England and Wales, from Fleetwood in the North West, through Wales, and around the English coastline to Filey, in the North East.NCI is a charity and all the stations are manned by volunteers.

NCI watchkeepers provide eyes and ears along the coast, keeping watch and monitoring radio channels to provide a listening watch in poor visibility. When people find themselves in trouble, they are there to alert HM Coastguard and direct the appropriate emergency and rescue services to the casualty.

Our local station, Padstow NCI, is situated at Stepper point.

The present lookout was built in the early 1920s to keep a watching brief over the approaches to Padstow and the Camel Estuary with its notorious Doom Bar.  HM Coastguard kept regular watches at Stepper Point until 1994 when due to financial constraints and the advance of communication systems, the visual watches from Stepper Point watch house were abandoned. During the following six years it became a target of vandals.   Between 2000 and 2006 it was renovated and then opened as a fully operational lookout for NCI.   The full history can be seen on www.nci.org.uk by selecting Padstow.

At the present time there are just under 60 local volunteers who cover a shift, between 3-4.5 hours depending on time of year,  once a week or once a fortnight.     Visitors are always welcome to call in if walking the coastal path.  Alternatively if you would like more information about becoming a vounteer please contact Peter Goodman, the current Station Manager on 07774235220  No previous experience is necessary.  We have people from all walks of life, various backgrounds and all ages.   Volunteers go through a training program which is mostly `on the job` training.   The walk up to the lookout is three quarters of a mile which is wonderful walk on a summers day but not for the faint hearted.