Kennack SandsCornwall

Kennack Sands at a glance

Kennack Sands and Ruan Minor: twin sandy beaches and a quiet Lizard village near Cadgwith

Kennack Sands is a beach and sand dune system on the east coast of the Lizard Peninsula. It is about 500 metres long, and the nearest village, Kuggar, is about a kilometre inland. Ruan Minor sits close by, in the parish of Grade Ruan, about ten miles south of Falmouth.

A rocky outcrop called Caerverracks splits the beach into Kennack Sands West and Kennack Sands East. A path over the small hill of Carn Kennack leads to the east beach, which is a nature reserve. The beach slopes gently, so its width changes a lot with the tide.

Kennack Sands is part of the Lizard National Nature Reserve and is known for its geology, with gneiss cliffs and red serpentine pebbles. Behind the beach are the dunes of Kennack Towans. Basking sharks can sometimes be seen close to shore in summer, and the beach is popular for surfing and for launching boats for diving.

Ruan Minor is a small village with a mainly 15th century church and a primary school. The parish of Grade Ruan also includes the fishing cove of Cadgwith and part of Goonhilly Downs, and lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

There is a car park and cafes beside the beach, and caravan and camping sites on the road to Kuggar. Pill boxes and an anti tank wall from the Second World War still stand at the back of the beach.