The remains were discovered in the late 18th century, and in 2014 the covering sand was removed to reveal a building more than a thousand years old, in a reasonable state of preservation.

[1] Penhale Camp was established in 1939, to the north of the dunes, as a World War II emergency measure to train anti-aircraft gunners.

[10] In 1943 the camp was occupied by the United States Army Corps of Engineers[11] as part of the buildup to Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings.

The surrounding area provides opportunities for all recognised adventurous training activities and the newer extreme sports such as power kiting and coasteering.

Now established in Penhale Camp is EBO Adventure Centre which provides a diverse range of training activities including Military Resettlement.

It is designated because it is an outstanding example of a sand dune system and has a rich flora, including four very rare species of plants and other rarities.

[17] The dune soil is calcareous because of the high percentage of seashell fragments which leads to a flora with lime-loving plants that are otherwise rare in Cornwall.

A number of rare plant species have been recorded on the site, these include Babington's leek (Allium babingtonii), brackish water buttercup (Ranunculus baudotii), Cornish gentian (Gentianella anglica subsp.

cornubiensis), fragrant evening-primrose (Oenothera stricta), Italian lords-and-ladies (Arum italicum), Portland spurge (Euphorbia portlandica), shore-dock (Rumex rupestris), slender spike rush (Eleocharis acicularis), variegated horsetail (Equisetum variegatum) and wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum).