The more time I spend in the Lizard Peninsula, is the more time that I want to spend there. It’s a beautiful and very diverse area and offers a number of swims that are simply world class. Being a peninsula you can generally get in a swim, regardless of the conditions.
LIZARD POINT : you get a lot of water movement through this area and we’d advise that you don’t swim in this area.
CHURCH COVE/GUNWALLOE : a beautiful and undeveloped area, managed by the National Trust. Sandy beach and ample parking. There are also peak season lifeguards. You’d want to avoid westerly winds of any sort of strength and keep an eye on swell. You can check the surf report for Poldhu on Magic Seaweed.
POLDHU COVE : a sandy beach facing west. Can often get surf. When threre isn’t surf it offers lovely swims. It is a lifeguarded beach in the summer season. There are also some nice rock features to swim around, when there’s no swell. Best swimming north towards Church Cove. It is quite remote and we’d recommend not swimming alone. Poldhu has a beach cafe…that is pretty much open all year.
POLURRIAN COVE : very remote, requires a walk or has very limited parking at Polurrian. Generally very quiet. Epic swims in this area. Again, it’s remote…so don’t swim by yourself and take appropriate safety measures. Great swimming to the left of the beach (south). You could swim across to Mullion Harbour and back (approx 2km). Best swum on an incoming tide. Lifeguarded over the peak weeks of the summer. Absolutely no facilities there whatsoever.
MULLION : swims available from the harbour. Again, I’d look at swimming there from mid tide, on an incoming tide. I’d avoid an outgoing tide as you can get some big water movement towards Mullion island. Common theme here….quite remote, don’t swim by yourself and take appropriate safety precautions.
KYNANCE COVE : a biggie! World class swims and lots of different routes. It can ‘pull’ around Asparagus Island with an outgoing tide, especially with a spring tide…so be careful. This area is not lifeguarded at any stage of the year. The swim around Asparagus Island, the big rock to the north of the beach is stunning. You also have other routes available, that are fairly obvious when you’re there. Again, best swimming with an incoming, neap tide. Avoid wind coming in from the west and swell coming in from any westerly direction. National Trust managed. Big car park and toilet in the car park and at the beach cafe.