Kynance Cove to Mullion Cove
The Route
Kynance Cove to Mullion Cove is about 4 miles
Kynance Cove
Early morning light beginning to hit Kynance Cove
DAY 1
Kynance Cove Before the Crowds Arrived
I arrived at Kynance Cove at around 6:30am, and for a brief moment, it felt like the entire place belonged to me.
No crowds. No noise. No phones being held in the air for social media. Just the sound of the sea, birds echoing around the cliffs, and the morning sunlight beginning to illuminate one of Cornwall’s most iconic locations.
Even though I’d seen countless photos and videos of Kynance Cove before, nothing really prepares you for standing there in person as the first light hits the water. The colours almost looked unreal. The turquoise sea, the dark serpentine rocks, and the golden light reflecting across the cliffs made the entire place feel cinematic before I’d even taken the camera out of my bag.
This trip was the beginning of filming my hike from Kynance Cove to Mullion Cove for my YouTube channel, and honestly, I couldn’t have asked for better conditions. The weather was calm, the sea was gentle, and the tide slowly began to recede while I explored the area over the next few hours.
I spent around three hours photographing and filming around the cove using both my Nikon Z6II and drone, capturing a mixture of long exposure images, aerial footage, and handheld video clips for the upcoming film. For the long exposures, I used both ND1000 and variable ND filters to smooth out the movement in the water and create a softer, more atmospheric look to the scene.
One of the best parts of the morning was simply slowing down.
It’s easy to rush through locations like this trying to capture as much content as possible, especially when filming for YouTube, but Kynance Cove almost forces you to pause for a moment and take it all in. Every angle seemed to reveal something new — waves washing through the rocks, reflections appearing in the wet sand, and the changing textures of the cliffs as the sun climbed higher into the sky.
As the morning went on, a few more people slowly started arriving, but even then, it still felt peaceful compared to how busy Kynance Cove can become later in the day. Getting there early completely changed the experience.
I managed to capture a wide mixture of drone footage while the conditions remained calm, including sweeping aerial views of the coastline and the surrounding cliffs. Seeing the cove from above really shows why this stretch of Cornwall is so famous.
But for me, the real highlight wasn’t the drone footage or even the photographs.
It was the atmosphere.
Standing there with a camera in hand, listening to the sea, watching the tide retreat, and having time to properly experience the location before the world woke up felt incredibly special.
Mornings like this are exactly why I love photography and exploring Cornwall.
And this was only the beginning of the journey.
Low tide reveals more
A wonderous moment on the beach
DAY 2
Exploring Kynance Cove at Low Tide
I found myself back at Kynance Cove again this morning at around 6:30am, but this visit felt completely different from my previous trip.
The weather was still beautiful, with a mixture of sunshine and drifting cloud rolling across the coastline, but this time there was also a noticeable breeze in the air. It wasn’t strong enough to ruin the morning, but it was enough to stop me flying the drone safely — something that was admittedly a little frustrating considering how incredible the coastline looked from ground level.
In a strange way though, not being able to fly actually forced me to slow down and experience Kynance Cove differently.
The biggest difference today was the tide.
When I arrived, the sea had retreated enough to allow access onto the beach itself, opening up parts of Kynance Cove that had been hidden during my previous visit. Walking across the sand surrounded by towering rock formations, caves, and the sound of waves echoing around the cliffs felt incredibly special.
There’s something almost surreal about Kynance Cove at low tide.
The textures in the rocks, the patterns left behind in the wet sand, and the constantly changing colours in the water make it feel less like a beach and more like another world hidden away on the Cornish coastline.
I spent a large part of the morning focusing purely on photography, taking a mixture of handheld shots and long exposure images using my Nikon Z6II paired with both my 24-70mm and 12-28mm lenses. With the movement in the sea and the dramatic foreground rocks exposed by the low tide, it felt like the perfect opportunity to slow the water down using ND filters and capture a softer, more atmospheric feel to the scene.
One particular moment stood out to me while photographing waves wrapping themselves around one of the larger rocks on the beach. Standing there listening to the sea while watching the water slowly move through the cove felt incredibly peaceful and almost idyllic at times.
As the morning continued, I also managed to hike further along the coast path above Kynance towards Mullion, giving me an even wider appreciation of just how dramatic this stretch of Cornwall really is. Every turn along the path seemed to reveal another cliff edge, hidden inlet, or sweeping coastal view.
A few people slowly began arriving later in the morning, but compared to how busy Kynance Cove can become during the day, it still felt relatively quiet and calm.
Even without the drone flights, the morning never felt wasted.
If anything, it reminded me that photography isn’t always about capturing the biggest shot possible. Sometimes it’s simply about being present in a location long enough to properly appreciate it.
And this morning, Kynance Cove delivered that feeling once again.