The Quiet Season
The village of Kingsand sits on the Rame Peninsula, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The name Kingsand was first used in the mid 16th century. It is believed to be English in origin, rather than Cornish, and to denote that the sands were owned by a family called King.
Today Kingsand is inextricably linked to its neighbouring twin village Cawsand, but this was not always the case. Until the mid-1800s the two villages were actually in different counties with the boundary once marked by a small stream. Today it is difficult to tell where Kingsand starts and Cawsand finishes, but both are firmly within Cornwall.
Set in Cawsand Bay, Kingsand is home to three (more or less) separate beaches. Girt beach is a small shingle beach backed by the village's iconic Clocktower which was built to commemorate the coronation of King George V. The main beach is a little wider and sandier, sitting on the other side of the Clocktower, backing onto the Cleave. Heading a short way out of the village, towards Fort Picklecombe is a further beach, Sandways. All the beaches are fairly sheltered and have plenty of rockpools. It is worth noting that these beaches all but disappear when the tide comes in.
In the past Kingsand owed its prosperity to two industries; fishing and smuggling. There are still the remains of a number of old pilchard cellars and boat stores dating back to the late 1700s dotted along the seafront. Harder to find are traces of the village's smuggling past. It is said that around 50 boats operated out of the bay here, smuggling in tons of contraband each year. These were ferreted away via a series of tunnels but these have now all been sealed up.
Today, come the warmer months, the narrow streets will be thronging with visitors. A large proportion of the colourful fishermen’s cottages are either second homes or holiday lets, and the beaches and pubs come alive with music and laughter. It is only when the sun stays low in the sky, and the shadows are long, that the lanes and shores stand empty
The Quiet Season
The village of Kingsand sits on the Rame Peninsula, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The name Kingsand was first used in the mid 16th century. It is believed to be English in origin, rather than Cornish, and to denote that the sands were owned by a family called King.
Today Kingsand is inextricably linked to its neighbouring twin village Cawsand, but this was not always the case. Until the mid-1800s the two villages were actually in different counties with the boundary once marked by a small stream. Today it is difficult to tell where Kingsand starts and Cawsand finishes, but both are firmly within Cornwall.
Set in Cawsand Bay, Kingsand is home to three (more or less) separate beaches. Girt beach is a small shingle beach backed by the village's iconic Clocktower which was built to commemorate the coronation of King George V. The main beach is a little wider and sandier, sitting on the other side of the Clocktower, backing onto the Cleave. Heading a short way out of the village, towards Fort Picklecombe is a further beach, Sandways. All the beaches are fairly sheltered and have plenty of rockpools. It is worth noting that these beaches all but disappear when the tide comes in.
In the past Kingsand owed its prosperity to two industries; fishing and smuggling. There are still the remains of a number of old pilchard cellars and boat stores dating back to the late 1700s dotted along the seafront. Harder to find are traces of the village's smuggling past. It is said that around 50 boats operated out of the bay here, smuggling in tons of contraband each year. These were ferreted away via a series of tunnels but these have now all been sealed up.
Today, come the warmer months, the narrow streets will be thronging with visitors. A large proportion of the colourful fishermen’s cottages are either second homes or holiday lets, and the beaches and pubs come alive with music and laughter. It is only when the sun stays low in the sky, and the shadows are long, that the lanes and shores stand empty