Sennen Cove
There is a beach at Sennen Cove at all states of the tide but as the tide falls, a large area of white sand is revealed and the beach merges with Gwynver beach to form a mile of continuous white sand - hence the name Whitesand Bay (not to be confused with Whitsand Bay which is in southeast Cornwall, near Plymouth). The hard granite cliffs shed very little stone into the sand so it is formed predominantly from fragments of sea shells, particularly clam shells which are very pale in colour. The sand is similar at Porthcurno and Portheras Cove.
In Cornish, the bay is known simply as Porth Senan (Sennen Cove). The bay is backed by nearly 100 acres of sand dunes, trapped between the headlands of Pedn-mên-du and Aire Point which form an important habitat for rare insect species.
Circular walks visiting Sennen Cove
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5.2 miles/8.3 km - Moderate
Sennen Cove to Nanquidno
Sennen Cove to Nanquidno
5.2 miles/8.3 km - Moderate
A circular walk alongside the pristine beaches of Whitesand Bay, where shoals of mullet are still caught from the beach using the traditional seine nets in the way they have been for hundreds of years.
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6 miles/9.7 km - Moderate
Sennen Cove, Land's End and Nanjizal
Sennen Cove, Land's End and Nanjizal
6 miles/9.7 km - Moderate
A circular walk from the white sandy beach at Sennen Cove along the towering granite cliffs via Land's End to the song of the sea cave at Nanjizal. The best way to see Land's End.
Download the iWalk Cornwall app and use the QR scanner within the app to find out more about any of the walks above.