Cove Bay

Cove Bay, sometimes called Gay's Cove, sits on the northeastern coast where cliffs drop to a rocky shore and the Atlantic comes in hard, with Pico Teneriffe, a pointed limestone stack, standing along the coast to the south. Cattle graze the clifftop grass right up to the edge. There is no development and the track in is rough. It is a place for walking and looking rather than swimming. Pico Teneriffe is said to be named by sailors who thought it resembled the peak on Tenerife seen from the sea.

What you actually see

• Pico Teneriffe - the pointed limestone stack along the coast.
• The clifftop - grazed grass running to the edge of the drop.
• The Atlantic - open ocean breaking on the rocks below.
• The isolation - a stretch of coast with nothing on it.

When to go

December to May is the dry season. Swell on this coast is heaviest in the northern winter. Wind on the clifftop is constant.

Honest expectations

The cliff edge is unfenced and undercut in places. Swimming here is dangerous and not advised. The track in is rough and there are no facilities.

Nearby

Little Bay is west, and Bathsheba is south.