If I had to pick one favorite spot in Rhode Island, it would be Lloyd’s Beach in Little Compton. Growing up as a wanna-be marine biologist, this is where I would come to feel connected to the ocean. It was here that I first saw harbor seals in the wild (in winter, they haul out on the rocks offshore and you can see them with binoculars). Looking out from the easternmost tip of the beach, all you can see is the vast Atlantic Ocean in front of you, as you gaze out towards Portugal.
The landscape surrounding this beach (like most of Little Compton) is beautifully preserved, and the protected open spaces are interrupted only by New England style homes and cottages. In the summer,* the beach and surrounding scenery are pure heaven, and in the other seasons it’s wild and wavy and exhilarating. I once came here at midnight with a high school boyfriend to watch a meteor shower. It was so freezing that we barely lasted 10 minutes. But I’ll never forget how the wind howled so fiercely it almost sounded like sirens were calling from the beach. 
There are a few islands offshore, and you can see building ruins from the beach. I’d heard there used to be a restaurant out there that was destroyed by a hurricane, but couldn’t find much more info online. The Little Compton Historical Society has scanned a few vintage postcards of the area.
*Lloyd’s beach is privately owned is accessible only to Little Compton residents and their guests. This is strictly enforced during the summer months. . .
Just try to access that beach. The selfish, greedy, I’ve got mine, people who hire a guard, will give even a local resident a hard time accessing the beach. Not that they even enjoy it themselves. They’re too busy indoors counting money.
Hi Ann, I know I hate the idea of private beaches too! But I thought it was open to local residents?
Yes local residents….which pretty much prohibits access to anyone who isn’t…white…or a peckham lmao. As of the last census the town was 98.75% white….lloyd’s beach being private violates our state’s constitution, article 1, section 17. You guys can be very removed in your ways of thinking. The Wilbur & McMahon school doesn’t seem to do the best job at educating these people on the virtues of sharing.
I am currently exploring whether lloyd’s beach preventing access to sakonnet point is in violation of our state’s constitution. Why do these racist beach witches feel entitled to land their ancestors stole all of 2-3 hundred years ago. This is one of the most outstanding examples of de-facto segregation in the entire state. I have been really exploring the town’s zoning laws, as well as the new ethics commissions policies (WHICH BTW ALMOST ALL OF YOU SELFISH MF’s VOTED AGAINST IN 2016), and numerous stories of residents violating public access rights. Placing beach rocks on parking spaces… the nerve. YOU GUYS THINK YOU OWN THE SAND BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS HUH?
Get it AJ AJ! My friends and I want answers as well!
Almost one year later and I still want answers! There is absolutely no excuse for beaches to be private, they’re a natural geographical phenomenon and, just like the OP wrote in this post, can be sources of ecological exploration and discovery for our residents. RI should take pride in being the ocean state — I think this means educating all of its residents & guests how to care for our ecosystems but also allowing access to these areas. It’s disgusting that a wealthy few white folks in RI have the ability to not only claim the beaches for themselves, but to hire people to prevent people from entering! So absurd.
AJ is right in that they pick and choose who has access at will. My parents immigrated here from Portugal in the 70s, and have cleaned people’s houses their entire lives. My parents worked for these kinds of wealthy people, and because they had summer homes in Little Compton, would advise us to drop their names for access to Lloyd’s beach. And it worked. I’m with the author — Lloyd’s beach really is special. I remember being there as a kid a few summers in a row. The white stones and the way the water crashes over them, the sound of the water washing away. The islands in the distance. The reason I’m on this post in the first place is because I’ve been looking for places to stargaze in RI — and guess where one of the most recommended places are? All I see online are articles about how the residents don’t want people parking on their roads, that “emergency vehicles won’t have access with people parked alongside the street” (https://www.eastbayri.com/stories/parking-ban-debated-for-ri-road-near-little-comptons-lloyds-beach,81279 — the streets are 33′ wide).
Of course, this issue isn’t exclusive to Lloyd’s beach. I’ve been going to Sachuest Beach my entire life & it’s become too expensive to visit. There are privately owned and operated beaches all over the state. It’s just really gross to see our neighbors practice white supremacy in such an obvious way. RI is so beautiful and we should really be embracing exploration, education, & access to our natural ecology.
to clarify my post — white supremacy is disgusting, period. The way it’s practiced in RI’s wealthy communities so shamelessly and with intent isn’t surprising given the state’s history, but is always disheartening.
I filed a complaint with CRMC about access and the fact that a “security” guard collects signatures prior to allowing access. And to clarify, this beach is NOT PRIVATE only the 20-foot path accessing it is. The Rhode Island Constitution protects a citizen’s right to assess the entire shoreline. Others should file a complaint too.
My childhood was filled with adventures as I grew up in Little Compton. My grandfather and great grandfather were the last lighthouse attendents before it was closed. I attended Wilbur School and I spent a lot of my time exploring and fishing the beaches, including Lloyd’s Beach, Goosewing, and South Shore; I spent summers as a lifeguard at Briggs Beach. The last time I tried to visit Lloyd’s Beach I was turned away due to my out of state license plate. I find it very disappointing that I cannot get to the beaches at Lloyd’s and the beach behind Round Pond where I played as a child.
When I was young, we would go to Sakonnet Point when we went to the beach. I can still close my eyes and drink in the exhilaration I would feel the moment my feet hit the sand. There is no place like it on earth. My dad was a radio celerity of sorts and struck up a friendship with the owner of one of the homes just a house or two from the guarded gate. This man was kind enough to offer to us his permission to use the beach which at the time was owned by the local beer king. We were able to use this connection to access the beach. My sister was still in her stroller and the sea wall gave us a paved path at least half way down the beach. We would climb the dune to the bathhouse and watch the tide engulf the rocky trail to it. At low tide one could walk out to the lighthouse but there was always the fear of the tide coming in; we never actually made it to the lighthouse. Yes, it is privately owned and I congratulate the owners for having a piece of heaven; and yes, it would be nice to walk that beach again even though I have lived in Iowa for the past 45 years. My hope would be that those of us who have memories there would be granted special permission to do just that. A renewed friendship may take me back to RI and the first place I want to visit is my beloved Point.
Thank you for sharing Susan! It is truly a special place!
My family has owned a house in what I believe is called the “Round Pond Association” for 80+yrs. while I feel beaches should be available to the public what the public has done to beautiful, natural spaces is a disgrace. The upshot of restrictions is not just privacy/exclusivity but also preservation.