South East Cornwall’s best kept secret, Lantic Bay is a quiet sheltered cove with white sands, feeling more like the Mediterranean, than Cornwall. David and I were not far from Fowey and we were due to get on the road to go back home. However, the day took an unexpectedly nice turn, the sun came out and we decided that we needed to get our feet into the water.
I hopped onto the internet and did some research on nearby beaches in Cornwall. A lot of them looked beautiful but busy. But it was the isolated Lantic Bay that took our fancy. It is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it’s crystal-clear waters, white sand and shingle shoreline, backed by imposing cliffs are the reward for taking on the challenging steep and rocky terrain.
The closest car park is about a 20-minute walk. The final climb down to Lantic Bay Beach is very steep and unsuitable for wheelchairs or push chairs. Lantic Bay is 4 miles from Polperro and 28 miles from Plymouth. Take the A38 from Plymouth. At Trerulefoot turn left onto the A374. After approximately 1 mile turn right onto the A387 for Looe and keep on the A387 until Polperro. At Polperro turn right opposite the Crumplehorn Inn and follow this road for several miles until a junction. Here turn right (signposted to Polruan), then at the next junction turn left (again signposted to Polruan). Continue on this road for several more miles until the first National Trust car park and toilets. This is approximately a mile from the beach so continue on the road until a second National Trust car park on the right. Opposite the right turning to the car park is a footpath that follows the road for a short distance and then leads across the fields to Lantic Bay.
All of those directions sound very sanitized but in all honesty, the climb down and up is difficult. I wish that I hadn’t been wearing sandals whilst doing it but hey-ho. There were several families there that had older and younger family members that were really struggling with the climb. There are also no toilet facilities so make sure you plan accordingly.
As a warning: the rip currents can be strong, and the beach shelves dramatically at times so please be careful swimming. There are no lifeguards on duty.
Dogs are allowed on the beach at all times of the year.
Have you ever visited Lantic Bay?
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