Beaches

There are hundreds of beautiful beaches and coves in Cornwall and the best way to see all of these is by walking the coast path. As in the rest of the UK, the coast path is protected and it is therefore possible to walk all the way around it. Some, including myself, decide to walk the entire length of the coast path (slowly) by doing day or weekend trips and walking one section at a time. It is an absolute treat. If this, or walking in general, interests you, I would reccomend downloading the Ordinance Survery (OS) Map app. A yearly subscription of £25 or so will give you live GPS located access to all of the available walking trails to plan circular walks etc.

If however you don’t have time for this or just want to know which beach might be best to slob on for the day with a bucket and spade and a pile of ice cream then we have listed a few our favourites below. We have also listed a few good surf spots to start you off on your search for waves in Cornwall if you so inclined.

Closest beach to Truro. Big, golden sandy and beautiful. Very busy in summer. Plenty of places to eat and drink, including the infamous Watering Hole pub on the beach. Good for surfing if there is a small to medium Northerly swell and southerly or easterly winds. Surf schools and board hire available.

Another massive expanse of beautiful golden sand in St Ives bay with Godrevy at the most easterly end and Gwithian to the west. They become one long beach at low tide. Great for a day on the beach and if you walk far enough away from the car parks you can find a spot all to yourself in the sand dunes. Good for surfing on a similar forecast to Perranporth. The waves are bigger at the Godrevy end and will slowly become smaller the further west you go down the beach as it gets more protecting from the St Ives peninsula.

The Lizard Peninsula is large protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty full of beautiful countryside and picturesque coves. Its a little bit out of the way but definitely worth a day trip. One of the most beautiful and popular of these is Kynance Cove on the south west tip of the Lizard Peninsula.

Newquay is well known as the stag and hen party capital of the UK and it still maintains this reputation. It is however slowly becoming more tasteful with a variety of new hipster eateries and shops popping up. There are several beaches in and around Newquay that re often busy but worth visiting. Of note: Fistral beach is probably the best known surfing beach in the UK and has a few decent places eat and drink; Watergate bay is another big beautiful beach with a super fancy hotel and nice places to eat and drink; and just outside Newquay Poly Joke, Crantock and Holywell Bay all hug a small area of outstanding natural beauty and are great areas for a coastal walk.

The closest thing to a “City Beach” that Cornwall has to offer. Gyllygvase beach is a beautiful little beach nestled just on the edge of Falmouth. Being on the protected south coast the water here is almost always flat and calm and therefore great for swimming. The yummy Gyllyngvase beach Cafe is perched right on the beach and is a great spot for a drink or a bit of nosh. You will often find gaggl of Falmouth art students on the beach here which give the place a lively feel.

Way down in the wild west of Cornwall there is Porthcurno and Sennen. Two absolutely stunning beaches which also become quite busy during the touristy summer months. Porthcurno is home to the incredible cliff side Minack Theatre which is a must visit and just around the corner is Pedn Vounder beach which has become instagram worthy for its crystal clear waters and beautiful spit of sand.

When the prevailing southwesterly winds switch to northerly Praa sands is a good spot to check for Surf as it faces south west and although it is on the more protected south coast it still picks up enough swell to get decent waves. Not far from here is also the beautiful seaside town of Porthleven which is home to probably the best quality wave in Cornwall. This is fairly challenging reef break and is not suitable for beginners. At both Praa and Porthleven there are plenty off decent places to eat and drink.