Lavernock

Lavernock is a quiet stretch of shore on the Vale of Glamorgan coast between Penarth and Sully, below Lavernock Point and looking out over the Bristol Channel to the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm. Some locals know it as the nudist beach, though it sees little naturist use and is usually very quiet. The foreshore is mostly flat rock ledges with only small patches of sand, and the tide goes out a long way, so the beach is far larger at low water; the water is murkier than at beaches further west, though people do paddle and swim. Geology students come to study the rock layers, and occasional walkers and dog owners pass by, generally keeping their distance. The area carries history: a blue plaque by the lychgate of St Lawrence's church marks where Marconi received the first radio signals sent across open sea from Flat Holm in 1897, and a busier clifftop path leads past Second World War gun emplacements. There are no facilities at the beach. For a better naturist beach in the area, British Naturism suggests Monknash or Kenfig further west.