Rocken End Beach

Rocken End Beach is a beautiful location and it’s easy to forget you are in the UK when you are lying on the beach and staring out to sea.

As the guide says, the beach is “clothing optional”. The end you initially start on when walking down from the car park is mainly clothed but as you walk down the beach, away from the path, most visitors are nude. The beach is a fine pebble/shingle and whilst comfortable to lie on, it is hard work to walk on. You will need to wear reasonably substantial footwear to make the trip down and back up again, I find my Crocs are perfect for the task.

The beach is very exposed and has little to no shade or shelter. some visitors bring their own windbreaks, though in my experience, it’s not really necessary. There are obviously no shops or facilities there or nearby, so you are limited to what you can carry down the cliff walk. Being a nude beach makes it very easy for me to discretely squat and have a wee on the shingle without having the brave the cold English Channel. Your wee soaks away into the shingle immediately.

Another review says that the goings on can be a bit lively, but I have frequented here many times and have always found it to be very relaxed with people keeping themselves to themselves. Well worth the trip.

I guess if you like to get naked in the sun, a hidden away beach is good news. Rocken End is certainly one of those, but to get to it is not easy. Either it’s a walk/scramble down from the car park at the end of Old Blackgang Road or it’s a long trudge from the west along the beach from the nearest access point off the Military Road. Once you know the path from the car park, it’s an OK walk down but slippery if there has been rain. Several kind people have placed planks across streams and carved steps where needed. But as you walk down, remember you have to get back up and the climb is a good 500’, often steep in places and hard going on the legs. The beach has a very fine golden shingle which looks lovely and is ok to lie on. Walking on it is hard work though and very tiring as you sink in. Care needs to be taken when swimming - the beach shelves deeply and there are currents that sweep around St Catherine’s Point a half mile to the east. Care also with the cliffs that have frequent slippages. On a warm day, it’s a popular spot with a mixed crowd. But probably best to go there with a broad mind, as some of the goings on can be a tad lively!

Rocken End is such a beautiful beach, as Michelle Lewis said before, it really feels like you’re in another country!

It’s a bit of a trek down to the beach, but well with the walk in my opinion. It feels so remote and isolated when you’re there. It’s several miles away from any facilities and there’s no shade, so make sure you take plenty of water and sunscreen with you.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of freedom that you get on a nude beach, and being a fairly quiet location, you don’t get stared at or harassed. I wondered if my friend and I would attract any unwanted attention being two completely naked 26-year-old girls lying in the sun, but I’m happy to say we didn’t, even when we both had to have a wee by the cliff a few times.

I cannot wait for the weather to get a bit warmer so I can go back this year. Rocken End is definitely my happy place!

This is a beach which is accessed by a steep, winding path with dramatic cliff views. Once at the base, it is shingle with a number of dispersed rocks.

The venue is off the beaten track and windswept in winter and sheltered in summer.

It is used as a naturist beach, however with it being less accessible and a known venue, it is not going to be a surprise to anyone accessing it for the first time.

It is very good introduction for anyone trying a naturist beach as it is well spaced out, used by a mix of people, and well away from other venues.