South West beach 'under threat' due to social media fame

Cornwall's Pedn Vounder beach, recently dubbed a 'hidden gem' by TikTok travel reviewers, has sparked debate among locals. While the beach's golden sands and turquoise waters have long been celebrated, its rise from a well-kept secret to a hotspot has brought not only fame but also a host of issues.

The surge in visitors seeking the perfect Instagram shot or TikTok moment near Treen has raised serious concerns among residents. The popularity boom has led to problems such as traffic congestion, littering, including human waste, and antisocial behaviour ranging from public disturbances to fires and alleged drug use, as partygoers attempt to recreate an Ibiza vibe in Cornwall.

Adding to the worry is the fact that Pedn Vounder is known for its dangerous rip currents and lacks lifeguard services, heightening the risk for those unfamiliar with its waters. Locals fear that the increased footfall could be causing erosion and damaging the natural beauty of the area, reports CornwallLive.

Reflecting on the situation, a resident shared with us during a previous visit: "Apart from its access issues and lack of facilities including lifesaving, the huge coverage it has attracted on social media in the last few years has resulted in overwhelming numbers of visitors, who have in turn, created massive infrastructure issues for the local area."

Another agreed that its popularity and coverage nationally and locally as a 'secret gem' was having "catastrophic effects on the local environment and infrastructure. Put simply, the narrow lanes, coastal paths and the sheer volume of 'Instagramma' visitors who have 'heard about it via social media' are putting huge pressure on the local infrastructure. It is no longer a secret beach and its beauty is in danger of being its demise".

Traffic congestion is a common sight, with vehicles often backed up all the way to Porthcurno - another town with a popular beach. Cars are frequently abandoned on verges when parking spaces fill up during the peak summer season.

The lack of facilities on the beach only adds to locals' worries about littering, fouling and pollution. Porthcurno is far from being Ibiza. Its narrow roads struggle to accommodate the influx of visitors during the busy summer months.

On some days, as many as 3,000 cars have been recorded trying to squeeze into the village, not just for the beaches but also for the ever-popular Minack Theatre.

A resident, who contacted CornwallLive with his concerns, said the problems started in 2018 when Pedn Vounder started going viral on social media: "The world and his wife descended on West Penwith and Treen. We had gridlocked roads, emergency services could not function, the local bus network got jammed, neither the refuse removal services nor food delivery trucks could get to Treen Farm campsite, the Minack staff and performers could not get to the theatre, there were nappies in hedges, aluminium BBQ trays left everywhere, human excrement in every field entrance and layby, bottles, cans, food packaging and bags of refuse liberally strewn into hedges, the path to the beach was a dangerous, degraded nightmare, people clambering over each other in the hope of a photo to share to social media, the beach was rammed, there were shards of broken glass, tent pegs, excrement left in the sand. It was hell."

"Every summer since has been equally stressful. Including the two lockdown years where all sorts of people who would normally have gone partying to Ibiza have sought out Pedn Vounder, lured by the Instagram promises of '#paradise' or '#bestbeachintheworld'. As a consequence gangs of party-heads have trooped down to the beach, a box of beer on one shoulder, ghetto-blaster on the other, oblivious to Covid, desperate to 'get loaded'."

He added: "The last decade has seen the beach turn from a quiet sanctuary where a few respectful people could find some peace and quiet in nature to a scene from an over-hyped summer festival that has gone on for way too long. Ankle deep bottle tops, vomit, dog poop, litter, excrement, fights, fires, smoke, graffiti, drug abuse and paraphernalia. The same can be said for Porthcurno beach, Kynance, Sennen and numerous other hot spots in the county."

The local also highlighted the dangers of Pedn Vounder's strong rip currents, which "can be deadly to unwary bathers, as has been witnessed many times. The main path down to the beach is dangerous, slippery, a rock climb, there are numerous opportunities to kill yourself. People every year injure themselves, often because they're completely oblivious, wearing flip-flops, lured by the Instagram eye-candy promise of a '#bucketlistexperience'. There are stinging jellyfish, weaver fish, sea lice, the cliffs crumble from time to time and rock falls do happen. There are no lifeguards - just a bunch of selfless locals who help out where they can. Increasingly we have to call out the emergency services, RNLI/Coastguard/Air Ambulance, etc, to mop up the mess."