Lantic Bay is a remote beach on the south coast of England located a mile and a quarter east of the entrance to Fowey. It provides an anchoring opportunity and a lovely beach to land on during very settled offshore conditions.

The bay is wide open to the Atlantic and as such offers an exposed anchorage only in light northerly winds with the absence of swell. Dayling access is straightforward as there are no immediate outlying dangers.

Keyfacts for Lantic Bay

Position and approaches

Haven position

50° 19.599' N, 004° 36.241' W

This is in the east end of the bay on about the 2-meter contour.

What is the initial fix?

This is just outside the centre of the bay on the 10-metre contour.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Lantic Bay lies a mile east of the entrance to Fowey and immediately west of Pencarrow Head. Set into a completely undeveloped coast, it is a ½ mile wide half-moon shaped bay of pale sand fringed with outcrops of rock. Only accessible from the South West Coast Path, Lantic Bay is designated as a Special Area of Conservation. It is owned and backed by National Trust land and comprises two beaches. Great Lantic, the main beach accessible by a steep decline from the footpath, and the smaller Little Lantic Beach that is tucked in under Pencarrow Head with a more westerly aspect. Both beaches feature beautiful stretches of clean sand.

An anchorage is available in the northeast corner of the bay during offshore winds in the absence of any swell.

How to get in?

Use southwestern England’s coastal overview from Start Point to Lizard Point for seaward approaches. The cliffy 80 meters high Pencarrow Head, that separate Lantic Bay on the west from Lantivet Bay on the east, makes a prominent seamark. It lies 1¾ miles east of the entrance to Fowey Harbour.

The primary outlying danger for vessels approaching from the west is Cannis Rock that lies a ¼ mile south-eastward from the Gribbin Head beacon. Cannis dries to 4.3 metres and covers at three-quarters flood. It is marked by the 'Cannis Rk' south cardinal, Q(6)LF1.15s, moored a ⅓ of a mile southward. Keeping Dodman Point open to seaward of Gwineas is a sight line that passed east of the rock.




The primary outlying danger for vessels approaching from the east is the Udder Rock that lies 3 miles east of Fowey and a ½ mile off the eastern shore of Lantivet Bay. It uncovers to 0.6 metres at the lowest tides and is marked by the lit 'Udder Rk' south cardinal mark, VQ(6)+LF1.10s, moored in 20 metres about 400 metres south of the danger.

A line of bearing 283°T of a white mark on the west side of Lantic Bay, just open of Pencarrow Head, aligns the position of Udder Rock so anything higher clears the danger. There is also ample deep water to pass between the rock and the mainland and keeping Looe Island shut in by Nealand Point passes inshore of the rock.




From the initial fix sound in for a ¼ of a mile to the eastern end of the bay where Little Lantic Beach will be seen. The west end of Lantic cove is foul.




Anchor according to draft and conditions off Little Lantic Beach. Land by tender on either beach. Those intending on striding out should take the tender to Great Lantic Beach for risk of a rising tide causing a cut-off on Little Lantic Beach.

Why visit here?

The term 'hidden gem of Cornwall' is a much-overused term but it is a very fitting description for Lantic Bay. For it has to be one of the most picturesque beaches on this strip of coast and on a fine day, one could easily be forgiven for feeling they have anchored in the Mediterranean rather than Cornwall. This lovely, remote and natural place is not, however, without a little touch of drama and two centuries ago it was the unlikely scene of some lawlessness that became known as the 'Lantic Hill Affair'.




At the time the government was applying extraordinary taxes to goods in order to pay for England’s various military campaigns. These duties were not alone levied upon luxury imported goods that the wealthy would consume, such as brandy, gin and tea, but also and most critically during the Napoleonic wars on salt. Salt was essential for curing pilchards and it hit the local Cornish fishermen directly. Not only where they set back by the loss of overseas markets during the war but with salt taxed at forty times its value, the fishermen could at times not afford to preserve whatever fish they managed to catch or profit little from it.




Crippling taxes like this led to widespread local opposition which in turn created an environment where smuggling became wholesale in Cornwall. It was in fact regarded by most Cornish folk as a legitimate activity where those involved were extolled liberty by calling themselves 'free traders'. Add to this the lucrative returns from handling contraband and collusion between the smugglers and onshore communities was widespread. It was all covert and close, the landowners allowed free passage, magistrates turned a blind eye, juries refused to convict, and even the revenue men themselves accepted tubs of brandy to turn a blind eye. The illicit trade of smuggling entirely engrained itself into Cornish culture and at the very least, gentle-folk would turn their backs on the business: seeing nothing, hearing nothing.




On a coastline where smuggling was rife, a remote secluded cove such as Lantic Bay provided a convenient hiding place for those seeking to perform activities under a cloak of privacy. The 'Lantic Hill Affair' or the 'The Battle of Lantic Bay' occurred in October 1835 when two Polruan revenue men patrolling the coast chanced to see a gang of a hundred smugglers unloading contraband on Great Lantic Beach. They quickly retreat to return with reinforcements but the smugglers, armed with large sticks, decided to fight it out. One revenue man was knocked unconscious during the melee but the revenue men preserved and managed to arrest five of the smugglers. A revenue cutter swopped in to mop up afterwards securing a massive hoard of 484 gallons of brandy.





The five apprehended smugglers summarily appeared in a Bodmin court charged with handling prohibited goods and carrying dangerous weapons. An astute defence solicitor claimed that the whole episode was a complete mistake and that all five men were simply out walking the coastal path. That, when they were set upon by the revenue men, they were completely surprised and only exhibiting rational resistance to being restrained in such an undignified fashion. Furthermore, the alleged weapons that were used to beat one of the customs men unconscious, where nothing but common-or-garden sticks that all Cornish man carried whilst out walking. To the revenue men’s horror the Bodmin jury, which were, of course, all Cornish, completely agreed. The five arrested 'innocent coastal walkers' were duly acquitted.




But that was not going to be the end of it from the revenue side. To make sure the bay was never used again a watch-house was built in 1835 to overlook Lantic and Lantivet bays and a permanent detachment of officers stationed in the building. They cast a watchful eye over the bay until the bottom entirely fell out of smuggling when in 1841. The then Prime Minister Robert Peel, having re-introduced income tax to raise funds, eliminated tariffs on more than 600 products taking the profit out of it.





Today Lantic Bay is a very quiet and untroubled place that is owned and looked after by the National Trust. Few venture to this remote place and there is nothing of the summer hoards that descend upon most all of the Cornwall's other beaches. With spartan roads to the location and a long walk from the car park, finished off by a punishing final descent to the beach, it never gets too busy. On a fine summer’s afternoon, there will be little more than a couple of boats from Fowey or Polperro anchored offshore and just a handful of families enjoying the beach. So you will enjoy it uncrowded and those that do come are amply rewarded.




The cove, sheltered by high verdant cliffs with a lovely wide horseshoe of pale sand, studded with outcrops of rock, is pure joy. It is particularly lovely at low water when a long stretch of sand is exposed that is lapped by clear, clean, turquoise water. It is also worth ascending to the coastal path and walking out over the spine of Pencarrow Head. From here the giant amphitheatre that is Lantic Bay unfolds before you, the sweep of Lantivet Bay eastward and on a clear day, it is possible to see from Devon's Bolt Head in the east to the Lizard in the west from its heights.




Those intending on swimming should be aware that the beach shelves steeply and it is known for its occasional rip currents. Safety equipment is located at the back of the beach but there is no lifeguard cover. As such, swimming is best advised on an incoming tide and great care should be taken with young children. Snorkelling is possible with care.




From a sailing point of view, the south facing bay that is wide open to the Atlantic, and all it can throw in, appears an unlikely place to stop. It is certainly not a place that one would expect an overnight stay. But with a shoreline that shelves quite steeply and Fowey close at hand, it makes an ideal day anchorage. With an auspicious sunny calm weather window, the sweeping crescent of light coloured sand with high green cliffs and crystal clear waters is a chance to anchor in an exotic place. A place to watch the shadow of the hull on the sandy bottom below and the perfect location to let children loose for a beach day and the retreat back to Fowey in the late afternoon.

What facilities are available?

There are no facilities at Lantic Bay. The is a National Trust Car Park located, 200m west of Triggabrowne Farm (PL23 1NP), has the only toilets available. It requires a ½ mile, 850 metres walk from the beach.

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