Porth Nanven (; most well known as Cot Valley and occasionally known as Penanwell) is a beach in the far west of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, England,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. It is located half-a-mile west of the town of St Just. The beach is at the seaward end of the

Cot Valley Cot Valley is located half-a-mile south of St Just in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a very mild microclimate.Clegg, David (2005) ''Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly: the complete guide''. Leicester: Matador; p. 121 The stream which runs d ...

and is part of the

Aire Point To Carrick Du Aire Point to Carrick Du SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the Penwith Peninsula, Cornwall, England. It is 5.98 square kilometres in extent, stretching from to . The site is designated both for its biological and its geological i ...

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. Porth Nanven has sometimes been referred to as 'Dinosaur Egg Beach' in the media because of a remarkable deposit of ovoid boulders covering the beach and foreshore. These boulders come in all sizes, from hen's egg to a metre or more in length, and have proved so tempting as souvenirs that they are now legally protected by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

which owns the beach. Many visitors assume that these weirdly shaped boulders are the work of the sea, which they are, but the sea of 120,000 years ago. Sea levels have changed several times since then and are now much lower, causing the ancient beach to be suspended in the cliff above the present level. Stand on the beach and look back towards the cliff, and you will see a wall of the rounded rocks waiting to break away and join those on the beach today. Work was completed in December 2005 on diverting and treating the sewage which used to be deposited offshore here; it is now safe to swim in the cove. Porth Nanven featured as one of the 10 Best Beaches in the UK

References

Gallery of images

File:Porthnanven Panorama Cornwall.jpg, Panorama of Porth Nanven Image:Cot Valley Beach.jpg, Porth Nanven where the

meets the sea Image:Porth Nanven.jpg, Porth Nanven looking inland Image:The Brisons from Nanven2.jpg, Nanven Beach with

The Brisons The Brisons ( kw, Enys Vordardh, meaning ''breaker island'') is a twin-peaked islet in the Celtic Sea situated 1 mile (1.6 km) offshore from Cape Cornwall in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Geography The Brisons (the name is French: brisant, ' ...

on the horizon File:Climate history revealed^ - geograph.org.uk - 71736.jpg, Above the current beach (rounded rocks) can be seen a layer of pebbles from about 120,000 years ago. Above them are head deposits, angular pieces from 100,000 to 20,000 years ago File:TomCorser Wild Sea Cot Valley Conwall IMG 5556.JPG File:TomCorser Wild Sea Cot Valley Conwall IMG 5581.JPG File:TomCorser Wild Sea Cot Valley Conwall IMG 5559.JPG File:TomCorser Wild Sea Cot Valley Conwall IMG 5575.JPG File:Nanven water splashing up.jpg {{Cornwall, state=collapsed Beaches of Penwith St Just in Penwith