Pednevounder and Treen - West Cornwall

Pednevounder and Treen are two adjacent coves near Porthcurno, on the farthest southern tip of Cornwall.

Getting There

Google Map

StreetMap

From Penzance, take the B3315 to the village of Treen where there is a car park. From the car park turn left and walk south across the fields to meet the coast path and then down to the coves below. The cliff descent directly to Pednevounder (the more westerly of the coves) is very steep and is "not recommended" - access can be gained from Treen Cove, but take note of the state of the tide before doing so.
Alternatively, you can walk east along the coastal footpath from Porthcurno.

Description
Small beaches of sand and broken shells in a rocky setting, possibly quite crowded but with good co-existence between naturists and textiles. The cliff descent may well be unsuitable for families with small children.

"Extremely blue water, white sand and granite cliffs. Its a good walk from the car park at Treen village... The cliff climb at the very end of the walk looks terrifying but is a lot easy than it looks. Grannies, people with kids and dogs all manage to get down. The mix of textile and nude is probably about 50/50."

Facilities
Need you ask? None on the beach - take all your own provisions with you. There is a shop and a pub in Treen village.

Water Quality
No information.

Trip Report

" At low tide there is a large amount of sand, shallow water then a sand bar (at least there was last time I was there.) It is possible to walk 500M to Logan Rock. Wonderful. As the tide comes in it gradually disappears with the naturists getting packed in to a small space. Eventually the exit route is cut off. Last time we waded through thigh deep water to get out. A few brave people take to the rocks and wait for the sand to reappear again."

Selected Visitor Comments

2007

August 05, 2007 - "... it took us about 45 minutes to walk from the Treen car park down to the beach. At first it seemed like a 50/50 split but as more and more people arrived it was more like a 75/25, still happy co existence and no problem. Water quality is very good, crystal clear and a joy to swim in. The climb up the cliff it's not as easy, very steep and very high, one needs to be fit to climb it with no problem."

November 02, 2007 - "... brilliant! the sea is so clean, crystal blue and great to swim in, the only problem is getting down to the beach - it's really difficult... but well worth it in the end!"

December 15, 2007 - "When tide is in you cannot get on or off the beach, so plan for that. Used year round, very sheltered sandy coves to sit in. There is a path down to the beach, but about a 5m climb down a very steep rock surface at the bottom, so you would have to carry a small child. Amount of sand in the bay varies from year to year."

July 26, 2008 - "...definitely worth a visit - excellent beach, crystal clear water and a good split of nude and clothed bathers. As other people have said the descent to the beach can be tricky - especially the last 15 foot. We would recommend that you wear some sensible shoes or trainers if you're planning a visit - other wise you might just come a cropper!! ...definitely worth a visit - 10/10"

August 11, 2008 - "Loved this beach, so idyllic and the most amicable bunch of people ever. They all know each other and some have been visiting for 30 years... I encountered like minded people enjoying the crystal clear water and the soft sand.....HEAVEN! "

2009

January 15, 2009 - "I visited Pednevounder in August 2008 (after a gap of several years) on what had promised to be a disappointing day elsewhere... as usual, the micro-climate was the complete opposite, with glorious sunshine all day. What was less than glorious was the micro-climate of anti-naturist attitude from some aggresive textiles... I was very surprised to be suddenly verbally harranged by a young textile woman (late teens) and her textile mother, with a textile man in tow, about being naked on the beach... When I pointed out that it was an unofficial beach that had many years of tolerated used, she claimed she was local... Has anyone else had any anti-naturist experiences at Pednevounder?"

June 26, 2009 - "This beach is just unbelievably stunning . I just cant recommend it enough. There was certainly no issue with textile hostility and there were loads of naked people there last week when we went. The access is difficult, but if you can make the scramble (and I mean scramble) down the last section of rocks, then prepare to bake. Its is more than a suntrap, so do make sure you use plently of suncream. The sands have moved a lot from the last time I visited, but that makes the place even more interesting... Make sure you know the tides before you go..."

July 27, 2009 - "...this weekend... there was absolutely no [problem] between the naturists and the textiles, although I have to say the textiles were in the majority - People of all ages got naked, some of them looked like it was probably their first time doing so - good for them i say, beaches like this allow people to "test the water" (excuse the pun) - hopefully they had a positive experience like we all have. Will be going back as soon as we can!"

August 19, 2009 - "...idyllic! A very steep and tricky descent - and I was amazed at the number of people who ventured to try it. But so worthwhile, a really wild location and very relaxing once the cliff had been negotiated! A mixture of textiles and the totally liberated happily coexisting. Stayed at the wonderful Treen campsite at the top of the cliff too."

November 21, 2009 - "...one of the most beautiful peaceful beaches I have visited in my life. I'm one of the regular naturists who visit the beach which is most busy during Easter and Summer school holidays where the mix ratio of textiles to naturists is higher, the rest of the year the majority of beach goers are naturists. The beach is warm, HOT during the summer, the sea turquoise blue and most people clothed/unclothed friendly. A beautiful beach which I find difficult to leave behind!"

2010

Colin 2010-06-16
Went down to Pedneounder today, after finding north coast (Fishing cove) too windy. However, regret to say it will have to be my last visit-must stick to Vault in future. The path and stepped rocks are extremely difficult now that I am in the higher seventies. It is a shame as it's a lovely beach, today the sky was clear. and only a few , say 78-80 persons there, textiles, half-textiles and like me bare!! Thoroughly recommended for the fit and able bodied.

Images on this page courtesy Luis Cortes.