Season: spring

Lamorna Cove was busy on this occasion, with local weekenders adding to the seasonal visitors.  Bright sunshine played on a silver blue sea beyond the harbour wall.  I noticed three different overseas identities on car number plates, a testimony to the international appeal of Cornwall’s beaches and coves.

With Sarah, about to go diving in the pristine waters off Lamorna Cove.

Lamorna Cove, seen from the harbour wall in the morning.

Season: winter

If you take the long valley walk down to Lamorna Cove from the Wink pub, you are drawn visually and atmospherically to the sea.  I was there at high tide, with the sea crashing onto rounded granite stones and the harbour wall.  The light was diffused between the sea and sky, giving a rounded feel to the view out from the Cove.  There are sixty parking spaces available right down at the Cove.  A good time to visit is during Open Studios, when artists display their work in their homes all down the road to the Cove.

My chat with hotelier Amanda at the Cove Hotel, Lamorna Cove, looking down to the sea.

A sub-tropical waterfall at Lamorna Cove in December.

Season: autumn

There’s an artistic tradition at Lamorna Cove.  The early morning light is striking here, as the sun breaks over the headland, with the Lizard behind.  It’s a lesson in perspective and distance, regardless of the beauty.  There’s also a whimsy to the Cove, with petrified trees and sub-tropical ferns lining the lane down to the sea and a strong running stream, which cascades over rocks and provides an audio backdrop as you walk down to the ocean.

What the beach means to Wo and his family.

Dawn rises over Lamorna Cove in Penwith.