Our first day in Cornwall was jam packed, with a whole lot of climbing and a whole lot more carbs - they come hand in hand. You're not going to get me climbing up and down a cliff side if there aren't any promise of some type of carb.

After our lunch in St Ives we drove further down the coast to this little beach I found through the wonders of Instagram : Pedn Vounder, it's on the East side of Porthcurno beach. You arrive at this little car park, ask some locals for direction, they will most likely say it's not worth it because it's such a climb, smile say your thank yous and continue along the path (it's definitely a climb but totally worth it!)

I'd recommend checking the tide times before you go - which we didn't so we only had about an hour before the sea swallowed the beach up and us with it! Also, I've heard it used to be a nudist beach.. I can now confirm that it still is, a good 50% of it anyway ;)

The small path through the rocks and bushes takes you down the cliff side, make sure you stop along the way to admire the view! 

As a general optimist I sort of brushed off everyone's comments about how cold the water was.. I checked before we left and it said it's generally 18/19 degrees celcius, which is on the fresh side but I've been swimming in 15 degree water all my life up in the mountains in the South of France, so 3 extra degrees... it had to be balmy!

...it was NOT. It felt like ice, the kind that numbs your body all over and you're not so sure if your right foot has dropped off or not. It takes a couples of minutes to adjust! Once you're in and completely numb though, it's amazingly energising. You feel so alive!

I already can't wait to go back to Pedn Vounder. It was definitely my absolute favourite, and I couldn't recommend it enough.