If you’re looking for one of the most spectacular beaches in Cornwall, but don’t want to fight the crowds, your search can stop here. Lankidden Cove is a true beauty, with turquoise water, pristine sand and even a couple of extra coves and sea caves thrown in for good measure.
A spot this stunning and yet so quiet does come with a catch; and that comes in the form of the final scramble down to the sand, which is steep, loose, and requires the use of some sturdy rope. More on that later in the guide.
Here’s how to find Lankidden Cove and what to expect when you do.
The walk to Lankidden Cove
The stats
Distance: 1.5 miles (2.4km) each way
Elevation gain: 240m
Difficulty: Moderate with one tricky scramble
Trailhead: Kennack Sands Car Park
Summary: The majority of the walk to Lankidden Cove is fairly easy, the trail conditions are good and though there are some ups and downs, there are no long steep climbs.
Sections of the track are narrow and run very close to a large drop, so it’s not one for vertigo sufferers, but it’s otherwise a decent path until you reach the unmarked turn off to the cove.
From here things get steep and you’ll descend on a dirt track which can be loose in parts, but it’s not really exposed until the final 20 or so metres.
The path at this point is narrow and very close to a large drop on the left. The final few metres are the steepest of all and this is where you’ll find two fixed ropes.
This bit will be tricky for some (including me) so I will describe it in detail in the notes below.
Starting the trail: along the coast path
From the car park at Kennack Sands you can head onto the beach and cross the sand to the staircase at the far end.
If you don’t want to walk too much on the sand you could also follow the coast path by heading onto the track that runs alongside the small cafe at the car park itself (there’s an additional cafe opposite too).
You’ll pass the toilet block after 30m and then begin following a narrow path through the bracken.
You’ll soon come to a fork in the path and you want to keep straight. At the 200m mark you’ll cross a small wooden bridge and 70m later make a right turn onto Kennack Sands beach.
You’ll then cross the last bit of the beach to the staircase you can see ahead which leads uphill. After climbing the stairs you’ll almost immediately head downhill and follow the path that runs behind the next cove.
Along the cliff tops
At the 750m mark you’ll reach another set of stairs, some rocky and some wooden, which lead uphill to the cliff tops.
You’ll see a gate 50m later and the path continues to the right of the gate, it’s a little narrow and overgrown for a brief period.
The rocky dirt path continues heading uphill for another 300m before it flattens. The views along this next stretch of track are simply spectacular with little coves, wildflowers and the seemingly endless expanse of the sea.
There are a couple of minor ascents and descents and a small section of narrow exposed track which is very close to a cliff edge, this is around 2.2km into the walk.
It would be no fun at all for vertigo sufferers and I would not like to walk this small section on a wet day, but it’s otherwise fine.
You’ll leave the narrow track and cross a large grassy area before taking the dirt path between tall vegetation.
Roughly 100m after you leave the grassy area, at the 2.4km mark, you need to look for a less than obvious right turn into the bracken which is the route down to Lankidden Cove.
The co-ordinates for the right turn are 50.0089391, -5.1331670 (you can find the spot on Google Maps by clicking here).
The steep track down to Lankidden Cove
The narrow path bears right and it’s quite overgrown at first. Sadly it’s not just bracken, but also a less than ideal spiky plant in abundance here.
Trousers are a benefit for this section, but I did get spiked a few times even so.
Still, the beach is very much worth it so don’t be deterred. The path quickly becomes steep and there are a few steps of loose soil here and there.
I took most of this section quite slowly, but luckily it’s not near an edge, so you don’t have that feeling of exposure.
The views down to the cove are magnificent as you descend the headland. The fact there is likely to be just a handful of people or no one at all down there only adds to the wow factor.
After just over 100m or so descending, the path curves right and begins following the cliff edge. It’s narrow, but footing is good for the most part.
It gets a little less smooth just before you reach the ropes, but it’s not too bad and you would think nothing of it if you didn’t see the drop to the left.
The final rope descent
The very last few metres down to the cove are the steepest of all and this is where you will find two fixed ropes.
I am generally ok scrambling on rock, but really do not do well with loose soil, especially when it’s narrow and right on the edge of a drop.
Some people will find it no problem at all; Joe didn’t and we saw two people go down in crocs and sandals. I however, took four attempts. Yes, four. I would go down a bit and then retreat before trying again.
If you think you might be a bit like me, here’s what to expect: the first rope runs horizontally before you reach the rope that leads downhill.
The middle few metres of the descent are steep and loose. I found it easier to walk sideways, trying to jam my feet into the side of the cliff while using the horizontal rope.
After that I used the large sturdy rope leading downhill and moved from sideways to face forwards, aiming always for any studier looking rock or grassy patches to gain some stability.
The very last section is on larger rocks and even I could easily do it without the rope!
It’s more of a normal scramble on rock where you can climb down bit by bit. The whole thing takes a couple of minutes for your average person.
Happily it’s much easier in reverse and I had no trouble at all climbing back up. It’s always the feeling of downwards momentum that gets me.
Then all that’s left to do is cross a few small pebbly rocks to reach the sand.
Lankidden Cove
Lankidden Cove is a true beauty and much bigger than it appears when you look down on it from above. The sand is quite compact and almost appears white in the sunshine.
There is a lot of room to spread out, with many nooks creating private spots if you were to arrive and find there were people around.
Additional coves are to the left and right of the main beach and are easily accessible within a few hours either side of low tide.
The beach would be dramatically reduced at high tide, it may even disappear entirely, it’s hard to say as we’ve not seen it for ourselves, but Cornwall’s tides are certainly dramatic.
There are caves on both sides of the beach and a colourful one in the next cove along to the left of the main beach. You can probably explore even further in good conditions, but we sadly ran out of time for that.
When it comes to swimming, as long as the swell is slight it’s absolutely fantastic and very calm. The water has a turquoise hue and it’s incredibly clear.
One of my favourite views of the beach is looking back from inside the water, with the white sand and rugged cliffs.
It’s a wonderful place to spend a morning or afternoon in perfect serenity and it’s definitely in our top three beaches in all of Cornwall, and that’s a very high bar!
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Where to park for Lankidden Cove
The closest car park to Lankidden Cove is Kennack Sands car park, postcode TR12 7LT, you can see it here on Google maps. The car park charges are every day of the week between 6am and midnight and are £2 for an hour, £2.90 for 2 hours, £3.90 for 3 hours or £8.50 for 8 hours.
You have a little phone signal at the headland just above Lankidden Cove if you need to top up partway through - we were delighted to discover this when the time on our ticket was running out!
There are two cafes/kiosks beside the car park and a toilet block 30m up the path beside the cafe that’s actually in the car park (so to speak, you’ll see when you get there).
Kennack Sands is very close to Lizard, less than a 15 minute drive and around 45 minutes from Falmouth.
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