Pedn Vounder

This small granite cove sits just west of Penzance and doesn't announce itself loudly - you'll find it tucked between bigger, brasher beaches that pull most of the crowds. The walk down takes about fifteen minutes through proper Cornish landscape, then the beach opens up: a modest crescent of sand backed by tall cliffs and scattered boulders that make excellent windbreaks if you're here on a blustery day.

It's the kind of place where you actually notice the sea. The water's cold enough to make you yelp, the sand's fine, and there's next to nothing in the way of infrastructure - no ice cream van, no beach bar, no deckchairs for hire. Bring what you need. Low tide opens up way more sand and reveals rock pools worth poking about in if you've got kids who'll stay entertained hunting for crabs.

Families get the most from this one. It's not big enough to feel crowded even in peak season, which means children can actually run about without bumping into a hundred other people. Walkers love it as part of a longer clifftop loop - the coastal path here offers proper views back towards Mousehole and Mount's Bay.

Allow an hour, maybe two if you're lingering. Go mid-morning in summer to beat the afternoon rush, or honestly, any time between September and May when the Cornish coast shows its real face. If you're staying at Lands End Camping & Glamping - just a couple of miles away - this is an excellent escape from the Land's End tourist frenzy.