Cornish bay called ‘rubbish’ because ‘beach disappears at high tide’

One of Cornwall’s most stunning bays has been trashed by tourists for expensive parking and because the beach is too crowded when the sand disappears at high tide. Kynance Cove, on the Lizard Peninsula, was recently voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world for its white sands, turquoise waters and unique rock formations that give it an almost Mediterranean feel.

A small bay, no more than 200 meters long, was considered so beautiful that it actually became World’s 50 Best Beaches 2024 and was voted in the top 100 beaches by the Lonely Planet travel guide. Even holiday park operator Parkdean Resorts compared it to the Caribbean. It said: “Kynance Cove might sell Cornish cakes on its shores, but the rugged, undulating coastline is akin to Sosua Beach in the Dominican Republic.”

Thousands of visitors each year rave about how beautiful Kynance is. Some 1,662 reviewers have done just that publicly on review site TripAdvisor, also taking plenty of selfies for those TikTok and Instagram accounts. However, the gorgeous little bay may be adored by thousands of visitors and locals alike, but it certainly has its detractors.

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In fact, it has been completely criticized by some visitors, with the National Trust accused of ruining their experience and also the Moon for being responsible for the twice-daily tides that make the beach disappear. Taking to TripAdvisor, Mitch Findlay – one of 16 people to rate Kynance Cove as ‘awful’ – said: ‘Long drive and when we arrived there were loads of tourists and no parking. Even the beach bay was too crowded to park. I left. without even getting out of the car”.

Trelawney40000’s review from a few years ago was funnier. He wrote: “The truth from a local is that there is no beach as all the sand has been washed away. It stinks.”

Claire G also said the sand disappeared the day it appeared and found the experience disappointing. She wrote: “After a 15-minute walk to the bay, I saw them all crammed into small spaces, sitting on rocks and slippery seaweed. The sandy beach that once existed had been washed away in stormy weather, I later learned.

“It wasn’t a pleasant place to sit and I didn’t feel it was very safe for the children in the immediate vicinity of the rocks and the sea was coming in at the time. We stayed for about half an hour then decided to Leave, the views are amazing but even as we returned to the car park the National Trust car park attendants happily welcomed more cars and people into the area and collected the money.”

John B had the same problem with the beach disappearing: “Have a visit but please check your local tide times. Hundreds of visitors paid £7 to park with no beach left’.

Kgrg added: “It was carnage, we queued in the car park, we queued on the ‘path’ to the beach, nightmare. When we finished the death trap walk we went into the bay. There was no place to put towels. We were practically on each other’s knees, I know this was August, during the school holidays, but it wasn’t even 10am, midweek and the weather wasn’t fantastic either.

“It might be ok outside of school holidays and on rainy days. After 10 minutes we were back at the car, what a hike. Then we had to queue to get off the car park as others must have given up too. Parking has to be a 20-30 minute walk to the main car park, then you have the drive to the bay is not our idea of ​​a nice day relaxing at the beach.

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Barry Taylor from Hudderfield, visited once (and probably the only time) in the pre-Covid days. He called the “trek” to the bay “absolute madness.” His comment reads: “I’ve seen madness, people carrying babies in prams, old people struggling and people with complex mobility problems trying it. Total madness.

“It’s the kind of hike you do and you just wish you hadn’t bothered. People have to hurt themselves on this trip, not realizing the extent of the difficulties they will encounter. I faced her and got to the bottom and stayed on nicely. Kynance Cove, along with hundreds of other people like sardines in a can waiting to claim a few square meters of sand as our place.

“It was packed, it was horrible. When I got there it was the smallest bay I’ve ever seen, but I’m led to believe it’s a different experience at different times of the tide.”

Patrick C from Mudbury added: “Kynance Cove is a chocolate box location that has been transformed into the Costa del Sol by the National Trust which has allowed the car park to expand far beyond the capacity of its beach and cafe. Avoid peak season when the sun is out, it will be crowded”.