Sennen Cove Beach - surfing

  • tristan-backhand-reo
  • Sennen Wave
  • Being located at the very toe end of Cornwall, less than 2 miles from Land's End, Sennen picks up as much swell as any North Coast beach. It is also more likely to pick up Southerly swells wrapping around.

    As a rule it is always bigger towards the northern end of the beach (North Rocks), often considerably. At a higher tide this can provide a good shorebreak.

    There are usually a couple of good peaks in the middle of the beach off the valley but these are very much dependent on the state of the banks.

    At a lower tide there is a fast (closey) right-hander that breaks towards the car park which can get good on the right day.

    One of the best waves on the beach is the cafe wave which on a mid tide and big swell can provide some excellent rides.

    For the more adventurous (suicidal) there is a reef about 100 metres off shore called the Cowloes. With a decent sized swell, hollow looking lefts can be seen cranking of the rocks here. The Cowloes have been surfed a few times but are still a bit of an unknown and seem to have lots of semi-submurged rocks in the wrong places.

    Overall, Sennen is often a safe bet as it's crecsent shape can cope with winds from due east to south westerly. The fact that it's usually twice as big at the northern end means it never really gets maxed out.

    These factors make it a wave suitable for all standards - it's also a good learners beach as the waves are often not very steep (plus there is board hire on the beach).

    On the negative side it does get pretty busy in the summer

    Surf report

    Current surf conditions for Sennen Cove Beach (19th May)
    Wave height * 3ft / 0.9m
    Swell period 7s
    Swell direction  °
    Wind  ° 11mph / 18km/h
    * Wave size is face height of set waves.

    Also known as:

    Whitesands bay

    Type of beach

    Sandy

    Lifeguard service

    There are often powerful waves and strong currents at Sennen Beach but fortunately there is well equipped team of RNLI lifeguards on duty.

    This year lifeguards will be covering the beach from Easter bank holiday until the beginning of November between 10am and 6pm.

    Parking

    The main car park is located right on the beach and has about 200 spaces. In the summer holidays this will generally fill up by around 10am, but fortunately there are a couple of other options.

    At the top of the hill, behind the main car park, is an overflow car park. It is very slightly cheaper, but you may not enjoy the walk back up the hill after a day on the beach!

    At the far end of the cove, in the village is a further car park operated by the Sennen Cove harbour commissioners.

    Awards

    Quality Coast Award