A husband-and-wife pair from the village, Martin and Celia Voss, leaned into the myth first. They printed postcards of the reef, sold Serpent Line mugs and keyrings, and ran early-morning “legend walks” for summer visitors who wanted a brush with the village folklore.
Others followed. A pub on the bay sold Serpent Line ale one season. A gift stall near the quay stocked painted driftwood charms and little booklets about “the curse of Blackwater Cove.” Once, to her fury, Nora even saw a flyer offering boat trips along “Thomas Hale’s final route.”