Naturist / Nudist Beaches in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Pednevounder (Pedn Vounder) and Treen

Cornwall (south coast)

Stunningly beautiful south facing beach near Lands End. Steep rocky path down. Beach useable at mid / low tide only

Pednevounder and Treen are two adjacent coves near Porthcurno, on the farthest southern tip of Cornwall. They are stunningly beautiful, however, the path is steep and tricky, and you can get trapped on the beach at high tide.

Getting There

Satnav: TR19 6LF (Treen)

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.

Map

Shop now

Comments

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Steve Sargent

20-Jun-20

An idyllic beach, but requires a good deal of agility and courage to reach. From the Treen car park, walk back out of the entrance, turning left along the track towards a campsite, then turn left for the beach. The car park is about 300ft above sea level, so be ready for a steep and rocky descent. The last stretch defeated us, as we had a 3 year old child in a back-pack, but many unencumbered people were returning unsuccessfully, too.
Rosie Hall

Jul-20

This is a national trust beach not an unofficial beach. It now attracts too many dangerous people that we have had to call the police about, and therefore women cannot go down there alone. Those few of you have ruined the beach below my home. The nicest beach in the Country, and I can't go down there.
Rob Pratt

May-20

In my opinion this is probably Engand's most special and memorable beach! If you visit, it's best to go on a spring tide about 2-3 hours before low water. At low water wade or swim out to the exposed sand bar and see the white sand and turquoise water as you wade out through the beautiful surf. Look back at the beach to see how breathtaking it is from this position. But Pednvounder is crafty, it doesn't let you have too much of a good thing, it knows that it's best to sample life's pleasures in moderation. Firstly, to get there is by no means straightforward. Many turn around about 20 metres above the beach rather than risk the last near vertical climb down. Secondly, you can really only enjoy the beach for 6 or 7 hours tops - and it's at its best close to low water. Having said this, there are certainly many beach visitors(regulars I believe) who are considerably older than me(I'm 63)who manage the treck to the beach and I'm sure have been for many years(they are very good boules players too!). Naturists are probably in the majority I'm pleased to say and by and large are a friendly bunch of couples and friends, in.ike some other naturist beaches. If there is a beach to enjoy before you die then Pednvounder should be on your list! But don't tell everyone will you?
Howard

Oct-20

I spent two glorious days at Pednvounder in mid-August 2011 (an annual pilgrimage), and it reaffirmed its place as my favourite beach on the planet! It offers, among other things, truly stunning scenery, along with a sea that provides paddling pools for toddlers, and invigorating surf for older folk simultaneously! I've also never been anywhere else that sees naturists and textiles mixing so amicably, sittimg side by side and chatting happily away. The climb up and down the cliffs may be a bit stiff, but only adds to the adventure, and kids love it! Highly recommended!
Colin

Jun-20

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.
Anonymous

Nov-20

...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!
Anonymous

Aug-20

...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.
Anonymous

Jul-20

...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!
Anonymous

Jun-20

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...
Anonymous

Jan-20

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?
Anonymous

Aug-20

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!
Anonymous

Jul-20

...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
Anonymous

Dec-20

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.
Anonymous

Nov-20

... 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!
Anonymous

Aug-20

... 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.
Anonymous

2007

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.

Photos

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Photos should be of the beach, or show the way to it. They should NOT have people in them.

Pedn Vounder

Pedn Vounder beach, looking west. In the distance is Porthcurno beach, with the Minack Theatre to the left and the headland of Pedn-men-an-mere (Wireless Point) to the left of that. Owned by the National Trust, Pedn Vounder is an 'official' naturist beach, arguably one of the finest in the country, although Studland in Dorset, Holkham in north Norfolk (another of my favourite beaches) and Morfa Dyffryn in Wales are also rather fine. When the tide is as low as this, it's often possible to walk to Pedn Vounder along the shore from Porthcurno; the more common approach though is via a signed branch off the SW Coastal Path. Be aware though that the final 20m down to the beach is a very steep scramble. As for the beach itself, in common with a lot of the beaches around the Land's End area, it's not really sand, so much as very finely comminuted shell fragments, which do tend to stick to the skin somewhat! A panorama of four images taken close to the Low Water Spring tide on April 20, 2023.

Apr-23 • Julian Hodgson on Flickr

pednvounder porthcurno pednmenanmere wirelesspoint minacktheatre westpenwith cornwall sea cliffs coast granite beach nuffbeach nuffpednevounder 53401291873

Pedn Vounder

Pedn Vounder beach, looking east towards Treryn Dinas and the Logan Rock in west Cornwall. April 20, 2023.

Apr-23 • Julian Hodgson on Flickr

pednvounder treryndinas loganrock treencliff porthcurno westpenwith cornwall beach sea cliffs granite coast swcoastpath sonydschx400v beacheslandscapes nuffbeach nuffpednevounder 53401289288