Sea swims and hot tubs on Cornwall’s Lizard

Silver Sands Holiday Park’s brand-new Signature Cove Lodges arrived this year, timberclad, hot-tubbed and just a woodland stroll from Kennack Sands. Ella Foote checks in on the wild tip of The Lizard to see how well luxury pairs with sea-swimming

No matter where you are travelling from, Cornwall has a way of making you feel like you have arrived long before you actually have. The hedgerows close in, the place names turn Cornish and you think: this is it, we’re here. But if you are heading to the Lizard peninsula, you haven’t arrived at all. It sits right at the bottom of the map, past Helston, past the satellite dishes at Goonhilly, down single-track lanes that seem to be leading nowhere in particular, right up until the moment they aren’t.

This is the most southerly point in mainland Britain, and it feels like it: the last stretch of England before the sea. By the time you reach Silver Sands Holiday Park, tucked at the end of its own quiet lane, you’ve technically been in Cornwall for hours and have only just arrived. But once checked into one of the new Signature Cove Lodges, the extra miles feel like part of the plan, rather than a burden.

We were fortunate enough to arrive on a hot day in May, which for this part of Cornwall at this time of year, is unusual. While driving down we received a message from the Silver Sands team to tell us our lodge was ready and waiting, no need to stop at the gate, head straight to our accommodation. This efficiency was welcome as all we could think about was plunging into the sea straight out of our hot car.

The new Signature Cove Lodges sit on the edge of sloping fields within the park. They are timber-clad and modern in design. Inside, through floor-to-ceiling glass doors you will find a bright open-plan living space with fully equipped kitchen and a large corner sofa, which can seat the whole family or offer an additional sleeping option. There is a king-size bed downstairs, a twin mezzanine tucked above for younger guests, a dining nook and small bathroom with toilet and shower. Outside there is a front deck with seating, a private garden outdoor dining area, fire pit and bubbling hot tub. It had the feel of somewhere properly finished, not just built quickly to meet demand and for two nights it was entirely ours.

But this was just the start, as there was more just ten minutes away through the woods. We dropped our bags, grabbed towels instead of unpacking and went straight for the sea.

The walk down to Kennack Sands cuts through Gwendreath Valley and it’s a lovely transition, not just a route from A to B. The lane out of the park gives way to a narrow woodland path, with fauna brushing your legs, the sea still out of sight but in the air. Foxgloves lined the way in May, tall and wild, the wild flowers and wildlife that makes you slow down even when you’re desperate to get in the water. It’s a gentle downhill the whole way, maybe ten minutes if you’re not in a rush. And then, almost without warning, the trees thin out and there it is: a wide stretch of golden sand, the water beyond it doing that thing Cornish sea does when the light catches it right, somewhere between grey and turquoise depending on the minute you look. After a hot drive and a hotter car, it was exactly what we needed it to be.

The sea in spring still had a cool zing but none of us minded, it was ideal for washing away the journey. The beach here offers a lovely long swim; if the tide and wind is in favour, you could swim one kilometre from Kennack Sands main beach, around to a second beach, or keep within the watchful eye of the lifeguard and do 150m lengths between the rocks. There is a café, small shop and surf board hire. Although busy in the sunshine, the beach was much quieter than other Cornish beaches due to its location.

The best thing is staying close enough to walk down to the water and even at low tide the sea here is still deep enough for decent swimming. At high tide there are rocks to swim and snorkel around, at low tide you can peek into rock-pools and find wild residents. If you like walking and swimming, you could easily walk along the South West Coast Path from here to many more swimming coves and beaches.

Despite the warm sunshine and hot air temperatures, the cold sea and on-shore wind cooled us enough to want to plunge into our hot tub. We soon got into a delightful routine of walking back from the beach to enjoy the tub before dinner. Back at the lodge as well as the brilliantly-equipped kitchen, we had access to a barbecue and fire pit. It became a great home-from-home with lots of space inside and out to relax, sit and just be. The birdsong and sunsets were beautiful, we slept well from our first night onwards in beds that were fully made on arrival. We had towels and robes included, which was ideal for moving about between hot tub and indoor spaces. There are five Signature Cove Lodges, all within the same area and look out onto each other, but the thoughtfully designed private garden spaces meant you still had privacy.

The rest of the Sliver Sands Holiday park was beautifully laid out with space for tents, campervans and other static holiday lodges for rent. A children’s play area and large green spaces, with trees to climb meant our 10-year-old had space to explore and make new friends.

The location is perfect – close enough to the sea to smell it, but away from the hustle of beachgoers. Often with Cornwall, you can stay somewhere beautiful but still need to travel daily to get to the beach or swimming spots, Sliver Sands has all you need and a little more.

Despite the excellent location, you will be tempted away from Silver Sands. Kennack Sands might be the beach on the doorstep, but it’s only the start of it. A short drive gets you to Kynance Cove, all turquoise water and dramatic rock stacks, the place that turns up on every “most beautiful beach in Britain” list and, deserves it.

Keep going and you reach Lizard Point itself, less a swimming spot than a place to stand and feel small against the sea, with the wildest coastal walking on the peninsula either side of it. Head the other way and there’s Coverack, a proper fishing village with rockpools worth losing an afternoon to, or Porthleven if you want a beach with a bit more life to it, cafes and somewhere to sit with your feet in the sand and a coffee in hand. Within a short distance you can explore the Helford River and estuary for another swimming experience.

We counted, at a rough guess, somewhere around eight or nine different spots we could have swum within about 30 minutes of the lodge. We didn’t come close to trying them all. That felt like the whole point: an excuse, if we ever needed one, to come back.

With thanks to the team at Silver Sands Holiday Park for hosting us, to book a stay visit:
silversandsholidaypark.co.uk