North Cornwall:

Bude Bay

Welcombe Mouth - Accessible by lane and track this is a slate grey shingle beach. The cove is a graveyard for ships and was a haunt of wreckers.

Marshland Mouth - Accessible by footpath this is a rock and shingle beach. A stream runs down to the beach and this marks the Cornwall and Devon boundary.

Stanbury Mouth - Secluded shingle beach reached by footpath. Approx. 15 mins walk from the car park.

Duckpool - The beach gets its name from a pool of fresh water contained by a natural dam of pebbles, and fed by the Coombe Valley stream.

Sandy Mouth - Seaside Award (for high standards). Life Guard, parking, toilets, cafe/shop, lots of sand, sheltered from all winds except due westerlies. Surf beach.

Northcott Mouth - Life Guard, parking, cafe/shop, one third of a mile long, sheltered nooks. Surf beach.

Bude

Crooklets - Seaside Award (for high standards). Life Guard, parking, toilets, cafe/shop, gently shelving from cliffs, rock pools & nooks, renowned among surfers. Dog Ban.

Summerleaze - Seaside Award (for high standards). Lifeguard, parking, toilets, surf beach, perfect family beach, free open air swimming pool, surrounded by dunes on one side and canal on the other. Surf beach.

Widemouth Sand - Seaside Award (for high standards). Life Guard, parking, cafe/shop, surf beach, north and south beach, both backed by low cliffs and grassy fields. Rock pools & cliffwalks.

Millook Haven - No parking and only accessible by path it is a peaceful pebbly beach notable for the zigzag cliff face.

Crackington Haven - Life Guard, parking, toilets, cafe/shop, very popular beach sheltered by 400 ft cliffs. Well worth a visit. Dog Ban. Surf beach.

The Strangle - Footpath access to this remote beach 400 feet below the cliff-top. Sand at low tide but undertows and currents make bathing unsafe. 170 years ago more than twenty ships were lost in a year in this area.

High Cliff - Cornwall's highest cliff - 731 feet from which there are spectacular views.

Pentargon - Small bay with waterfall and sheer black cliffs.

Boscastle Harbour - Scenic old fishing harbour. One of the few points of shelter for boats on this awe inspiring coast.

19th Century commercial port coal and timber landed, slate and clay were exported. Fishing trips, excellent walks. Shops, pubs, etc.

Rocky Valley - The valley terminates in a small stony cove. Up the valley two bridges cross the stream. Good picnic area.

Bossiney Haven - A small sheltered beach sandy surf beach at low tide and on big swells. North facing, pretty sheltered cove, Sir Francis Drake was elected M.P. here!

Tintagel - The Island
Home of King Arthur's Castle. Ruins in a very spectacular setting, This is a small peninsula only connected to the mainland by a strip of wave washed land.

Tintagel Head - Glebe Cliff - Awesome cliff scenery.

Penhallic Point - Hole Beach
Trebarwith Strand - Life Guard, parking, toilets, cafe/shop, surf beach, fine sandy beach at low tide broken up by large slabs of rock. Once used as a port which is hard to imagine. The road leading to the beach is called 'The Sanding Road'. Sand was taken from the beach and laid on the road leading up to the quarries. Wagons loaded with slate on sledges would haul the slate down. No problems with runaway wagons!

The Port William pub overlooks the beach and is a popular spot for refreshments.

Backways Cove - Gull Rock
Tregardock Beach - Accessible only on foot from a lane at Tregardock. Secluded beach where caution should be used near the cliffs which are unstable. Swimming hazardous.

Port Isaac to Padstow

Barrett's Zawn - Collapsed tunnel through which slate was once hauled.

Port Gaverne - Toilets, a natural inlet with some sand and excellent walks. Was once a thriving fishing village and slate port. Port Gaverne Hotel virtually on beach for food and drink or sitting and watching the beach.

Port Isaac - Old fishing village, still a working harbour. Parking on the beach, toilets, narrow streets. The Golden Lion has a balcony which overlooks the harbour. The old fish cellars sell locally caught fish, there's an aquarium displaying some of the local species.

Lobber Point - Noted for the complex herring-bone stone hedges (walls) reputedly built by French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic wars.

Pinehaven - Accessible only after a long but pleasurable walk. Rocky but interesting.

Varley Head - Kellan Head.
Port Quin - No toilets, no commercialisation. Poldark & Jamaica Inn had some scenes filmed here. The legend is that the fishing fleet set sail from here some time in the last century and never returned, the village was uninhabited for some time but most of the cottages have been restored. A beautiful little cove, some sand at low tide.

Doyden Point - The folly on the point was used in 'Poldark' as Doctor Ennis's house.

Lundy Hole - An interesting collapsed cave which sometimes 'blows'.

Lundy Bay - Car Park leads to path which winds through a pretty valley to this little cove.

Epphaven - A reasonable walk from the road leads down to this secluded little spot. Sandy, enchanted.

Hayle Bay - Part of Polzeath beach.

Polzeath Beach - Seaside Award (for high standards). Life Guard, parking, cafes and shops, toilets, surfboard and windbreak, etc. hire, family beach with sun warmed rock pools at low tide. Sandy, broad and gently sloping. Excellent surf but quite safe with it. Dog Ban.

Greenaways - Accessible from Tristram car park, small beach usable only at lower tides.

Daymer Bay & Cassock - Parking, toilets, cafe/shop, sandy estuary beach with views to Padstow. Ideal family beach, a third of a mile beach and massive sand dunes (Brea Hill) joining into the golf links. At low tide the beach stretches two miles to rock. Can be a useful surf beach in winter when storm conditions exist.

Brea Hill - Large Sand Hill with ecellent views of the etuary and golf course.

Rock - Sandy estuary beach, parking, toilets, cafe/shop, water sports centre, water skiing, sailing, wind surfing. The Rock Inn balcony overlooks the beach & estuary, ideal for food and refreshments. Fishing trips and passenger ferry to Padstow.

Gentle Jane - Good water skiing start point up the estuary from Rock.

Across the Estuary.

Padstow Harbour. - Working fishing port with medieval houses and renowned restaurants. Famous for its May Day celebrations. Shark and other fishing trips, boat trips. Passenger ferry to Rock. The Saint's Way starts here and crosses Cornwall to the coast at Fowey. Histor- ically pilgrims and traders had better chances of survival by landing here and walking than by going round Land's End by sea. They would then continue their journey by sea.

St. George's Well - Dog Ban

Harbour Cove - As Hawker's cove but easier walking distance of Padstow.

Hawker's Cove - Fine sandy beach on the estuary facing Daymer Bay, close to the infamous Doom Bar.

Stepper Point - Crowned by a tower built as a daymark for sailors. The tower features in the opening sequences of 'Jamaica Inn'.

Gunver Head - Tregudda Gorge

Trevone Bay - Life Guard, parking, toilets, gently shelving beach of fine sand in an area of great geological interest. Dog Ban.

Newtrain Bay - Rockpools at low tide.

Harlyn Bay- Seaside Award (for high standards). Life Guard, parking, toilets, cafe/shop. Surf beach, two thirds of a mile of sand and pebbles in a perfect crescent surrounded by dunes and cliffs. Rock pools, cliff walks.

Cataclews Point - Mother Ivey's Bay
Padstow lifeboat slipway is housed here.

Trevose Head - Lighthouse (1847). Picnic areas with superb views to Pentire Point on one side and Towan Head the other.

Constantine Bay - Seaside Award (for high standards). Life Guard, parking, toilets, cafe/shop. West facing surf beach backed by large dunes. Good surfing and swimming. Rock pools.

Treyarnon Bay - Seaside Award (for high standards). Life Guard, parking, toilets, cafe/shop, surf beach, expanse of fine sand at low water with plenty of nooks. Take note of lifeguard warnings.

Fox Cove

Porthcothan Bay - Life Guard, parking, toilets, cafe/shop, sandy beach at low tide, couched in sand dunes. Can be dangerous at low tide.

Porth Mear - Secluded cove with rock and shingle at low tide.

Pentire Steps

Park Head

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Porth - One of the quieter Newquay beaches, golden sands and lovely Tea rooms by beach.

Hayle - 3 miles of golden Sands, venue of many women's BBQ's, beach parties and games days (rounders, football etc).

Marazion - Home of the famous 'St Michaels Mount'. Nice beach, can get busy.

 

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South Cornwall