Penberth Cove
OS grid ref:- SW4022
Situated around three and a half miles miles southeast of Sennen Cove , the small and picturesque fishing cove of Penberth lies on the south coast of Cornwall's Land`s End peninsula, most of the village is within the parish of St Buryan.
The name derives from the Cornish for 'bushy headland'.
The secluded cove has a pebble beach which never becomes crowded and is safe for swimming, although there is no lifeguard cover. A river flows down through the beautiful wooded Penberth Valley into the cove. The small and unspoilt hamlet has few facilities and consists of only of a few characterful stone fishermen's cottages, and a fish cellar.
In the early years of the nineteenth century, a thriving pilchard industry existed at Penberth Cove, which had a fleet of small boats, but due to the decline in fish stocks there are but four full time fisherman who remain working from the cove who still make their living from fishing for mackerel, lobster and crab.
An electric winch now pulls the fishing boats up the Cornish granite slipway rather than the former horse drawn windlass, one of the few concessions to the twentieth century. The remains of the old 'huer's hut' still stands solitary on the gorse clad cliffs above.
The cove lies at the end of a lush, wooded valley and was acquired by the National Trust in 1957. It is described by the trust as 'perhaps the most perfect fishing cove in Cornwall'.
Nearby are the superb beaches at Porthcurno, Porthchapel and Pedny. Pedny is a 20 minute walk over the cliffs.
Directions
Take the St Buryan road turning from the A30 Land's End road. Continue towards Porthcurno and take the Penberth turning on the left. The Cove is at the bottom of the hill but there is a car park part way down.