Cornwall: Sennen Cove (Lands End).

Adventures

14 Dec

dogs: banned 15th May – 30th September from 10am – 6pm but allowed on Gywnver Beach (north end of bay)

parking | tide times | os map

I sat cupping a mug of a steaming tea before logging onto a zoom workshop, reflecting on the morning. Mornings have been tricky this year, waking is tough with my disc injury causing severe sciatic pain down my leg and preventing me from doing basic tasks like getting shoes on only easing once I’ve been up and moving for an hour or so. Yet I was so determined to get to Sennen Cove for sunrise.

The evening before I was heating a risotto at the epic Cape Cornwall and waiting for the campsite in St Just to get back to me, but in the end made the call to move onto my next location having found Trevedra Farm on a park up site (the St Just site never got back to me!). I had originally planned to go to Lands End on my way through just as a tick off exercise but the more I read about it the more intrigued I was about Sennen Cove. And so it was that I gritted my teeth through the pain of getting in the drivers seat and operating the pedals to do the short drive down to the cove.

When I got there it was dark and deserted and I was watched by a resident in what appeared to be the tiniest apartment ever with a single bulb illuminating their morning routine. I rolled open the door and Monty was released, ready to explore another beach. As I slowly and carefully started descending down onto the beach a few more cars arrived with dog walkers, just like me, here to catch the sunrise on an expanse of sandy beach.

As the light started to reveal the cove, my pain started easing and my appetite for the day grew. The little black house in the dunes started popping and the surfers arrived to catch the first waves of the daylight. As we neared the lifeboat hut I studied the way little signs had naturally been made, trusting those seeing them to adhere to the plea.

After spending a little time kicking about the beach and chatting to other dog walkers we headed back to the van where Monty hurriedly devoured his breakfast and I took a more gentle approach to a coffee and bowl of granola while we watched more surfers prep and make their way across the sand to the water.

But here is where I made a mistake, I headed on back to the campsite to take a walk along the top of the cliffs but what I should have done was factor in a walk to Lands End… having done my workshop on Zoom trying to hear our leader above the sound of a lawn mower circling my van repeatedly I drove to Lands End hoping to find a spot to park and go and check it out on foot. As it turns out there is no parking unless you enter the main car park that charges a £7 flat rate. I thought I would just pay it and swallow up the cost but as I made my way to the pay kiosk the theme park buildings came in to view and I just lost heart. As there’s no turning I had an awkward exchange about how I was just looking and he let me through the barrier and watched me as I took the exit away. So my advice to you would be walk to Lands End from Sennen Cove if you want to see it.