Beaches and Walks near Porthcothan

Beaches nearby

List of beaches North to South from Padstow to Perranporth:

• Padstow (5m by road) is a picturesque harbour town on the western banks of the Camel Estuary. To the north of Padstow and accessible by the coast path is a super stretch of sand from St Georges Cove to Harbour Cove and Hawkers Cove. The walk from Padstow to St Georges Cove takes about 20 minutes. There are great views across the estuary.The beaches are accessible from the coast path which is sloping in places.Dogs are banned at St Georges Cove from Easter Day to October 1. Dogs are allowed at Harbour Cove and Hawkers Cove.
• Ferry trips can be taken from Padstow to Rock.
  Rock Beach (17m by road) is a long sandy beach on the east side of the Camel Estuary. At low tide Rock Beach stretches from Porthilly Cove north to Daymer Bay. The best of the sand is beyond the ferry pontoon. There are also extensive sand dunes. There is a passenger ferry between Rock Beach and Padstow on the opposite side of the Camel Estuary. Access to Rock Beach is via short slopes from the road. Dogs allowed all year on Rock Beach
• Trevone Bay (4m by road) is a pleasant sandy bay which is popular with families and surfers. A few minutes walking to the west of Trevone Bay is another large beach called Rocky Beach. Rocky Beach is mainly rocky but there is also a small patch of sand and a tidal pool. There is excellent scenery and good coastal walks from Trevone Bay to Harlyn Bay and Trevose Head. Access to Trevone Bay Beach is level from the road and there are steps to the beach from the beach shop car park. Dogs are banned on Trevone Bay Beach from Easter Day to October 1
• Harlyn Bay. (3m by road) One of the best family beaches in Cornwall, Harlyn Bay is a wide and spacious beach popular with families and surfers. The coast path can be walked from Harlyn Bay to Mother Iveys Bay and Trevose Head. Note that part of the coast path is on Harlyn Bay Beach, so this route may be impassable at high tide. There is level access to the beach from the road and from the beach car park. There are also steps down at various points.Dogs allowed all year at Harlyn Bay
• Mother Iveys Bay (3m by road) is a picturesque and pleasant sandy beach. Unfortunately there are no facilities and no parking at Mother Iveys Bay. Access is via the coast path, a 20 minute walk from Harlyn Bay. The coast path is steep in places. Dogs allowed all year at Mother Iveys Bay.
• Boobys Bay Beach (3m walk) is a wide sandy beach with many rock pools and popular with surfers. Park at Treyarnon Bay or Constantine Bay and walk the coast path to Boobys Bay. There is limited parking at Constantine Bay, so parking at Treyarnon Bay may be a better option. There is excellent walking from Boobys Bay to Dinas Head and Trevose Head. Access to Boobys Bay Beach is by climbing down over rocks from the coast path or walking from Constantine Bay across the sand to Boobys Bay Beach at low tide. Dogs allowed all year on Boobys Bay Beach.
• Constantine Bay Beach (1.7m by road or 3.5m along SW Coastal Path) is a wide sandy beach with many rock pools and plenty of sand. The beach is popular with surfers. Parking is limited at Constantine Bay and an alternative is to park at Treyarnon Bay and walk the coast path to Constantine Bay Beach (only takes 10 minutes). There is a sloping path to the beach at Constantine Bay.Dogs allowed all year on Constantine Bay Beach.
• Treyarnon Bay Beach (1.5m by road or 2.5m along SW Coastal Path)is an excellent family beach with lots of sand and rock pools and can be used for surfing. There is a slip way to Treyarnon Bay Beach. Dogs allowed all year on Treyarnon Beach.
• Porthcothan Beach (Half mile walk) is a pleasant family beach with plenty of sand at low tide and some sand dunes. Parking and toilets are close to the beach at Porthcothan.The car park is several minute walk from the beach and the path to Porthcothan Beach is level. There are also steps to the beach from the coast path. Dogs allowed all year at Porthcothan.
• Bedruthan Steps (3m drive or 3.4m walk along SW Coastal Path) is a large sandy beach dwarfed by spectacular rock outcrops. The beach at Bedruthan Steps is closed in winter, opening again on March 1st. There are steps down to the beach at Bedruthan Steps which are very steep and not suitable for wheel chairs or push chairs. Dogs allowed all year at Bedruthan Steps
• Mawgan Porth (4m by road or 5m along SW Coastal Path) is an excellent wide sandy beach with sand even at high tide. Toilets and parking are close to the beach. The car parks are close to the beach at Mawgan Porth and there is level access to the beach from the road. Dogs allowed all year at Mawgan Porth
• Watergate Bay Beach (6m by road) is an excellent mile long beach with good surfing and also plenty of sand for families. Access to the beach at Watergate Bay is via a sloping path from the car park and a few steps. Dogs allowed all year at Watergate Bay.
• Whipsiderry Beach is a large sandy beach. The beach is usually quiet due to difficult access. There are very steep steps down the cliff to the beach at Whipsiderry. Dogs allowed all year.
• Porth Beach (8m by road) is a large sandy beach on the outskirts of Newquay. Porth has all the expected facilities and there is pleasant walking around Porth Island. At Porth there is a car park on the beach. There is also level access from the B3276. Dogs are banned on Porth Beach from Easter Day to October 1.
• Newquay (9m by road) has a world wide reputation for surfing and comprises four beaches – Towan Beach, Great Western Beach, Tolcarne Beach and Lusty Glaze and there is also some sand in the harbour. At low tide a huge expanse of sand is formed from the harbour entrance to Lusty Glaze. The beaches are ideal for families and surfers and there are excellent facilities, though Newquay does get very busy in the summer. To the west of the town there is also Fistral Beach which is treated separately in this guide. Most of the larger car parks at Newquay are some distance from the beach. The only large car park close to the beach is on the cliffs above Lusty Glaze. There is a steep sloping road down to Newquay harbour and a very small car park in the harbour. There is a sloping road down to Towan Beach and Great Western Beach but no car parking. At Tolcarne Beach there is a steep sloping path down to the beach and also steep steps behind the beach. There are steep steps down to Lusty Glaze. Update 2015, the access road to Great Western beach is closed for repairs over summer 2015. Dogs allowed all year in the harbour and on Towan and Great Western beaches. At Tolcarne Beach dogs are banned from 1st April to 30th November. At Lusty Glaze Beach, dogs are banned from Whitsun (around the end of May) to 2nd September during the day between 8am and 7pm. Note that the steps down to Lusty Glaze are closed at 11pm each night.
• Fistral Beach (11.4m by road) is a huge sandy beach on the western edge of Newquay and is also an excellent surfing beach. North of the main beach there is an area of rocks and then a small sandy beach called Little Fistral Beach. The Fistral Beach car park is right by the beach and there is level access to the rear of the beach although the beach slopes downwards. There are also steps to Fistral Beach at several points on the coast path. At the southern end of the beach there are steep steps to the beach. At Little Fistral Beach there are steps to the beach. Dogs allowed all year at Fistral Beach.
• Crantock Beach (12.6m by road) is a fabulous sandy beach with a huge expanse of sand at low tide. There is also sand along the River Gannel and also extensive dunes behind the beach. Access to the beach by the car parks is via a short path through the dunes. There are also steps down at the west part of Crantock Beach.Dogs allowed all year at Crantock Beach.
• Porth Joke Beach (15m by road) is a narrow cove with plenty of sand at low tide. Popular in summer, but parking is some distance from Porth Joke Beach and there are no facilities or toilets. The Porth Joke car park is a 10 minute walk from the beach. The path to the beach is sloping in places. Dogs:No details available.
• Holywell Bay (15m by road) is a huge sandy beach with extensive sand dunes, popular with families and surfers. Facilities are in Holywell village which is a 5 minute walk from the beach. Holywell Beach is a 5 minute walk from the car park. The path to Holywell Beach is level. Dogs allowed all year at Holywell Bay.
• Perranporth (17m by road) is a popular seaside town with a huge sandy beach which stretches 2 miles to the north. There are also extensive sand dunes and all the expected facilities at Perranporth. There is 1 car park right by the beach. From the beach car park there is a short slope to the beach suitable for wheel chairs. Dogs allowed all year on Perranporth beach. From 2011, dogs must be kept on leads on designated parts of Perranporth Beach in July and August.
• Other Beaches: see http://www.cornwallbeachguide.co.uk/northcornwall/northcornwall.htm

Walks nearby centred around beaches

Click on the links below to see details and photos taken on the walks

• Porthcothan & Treyarnan circular walk 3.7miles
  From Porthcothan or Treyarnan. Easy walk along SW Coast path and back by road (or other way round)
  A gentle stroll around a coastline dramatically sculpted by the power of the waves, where smugglers took advantage of the secret coves and caves to land their cargoes. There are terrific vistas across the open sea, and the path borders tranquil farmland where the endangered corn bunting is making a comeback. Skylarks trill overhead, and seabirds such as fulmar, razorbill and guillemot nest on the cliffs.
• Porthcothan to Mawgan Porth linear walk 4.5miles
  Moderate – Coastal path above high cliffs which have slumped in places: take care near the egde. There are stretches of ascent and descent, some of it steep.
  A one-way walk from Porthcothan to Mawgan Porth, giving breathtaking views from the high cliffs over sandy coves, out across the rolling Atlantic. North Cornwall’s ragged rocky coastline is particularly spectacular at Bedruthan Steps, where the sea has carved dramatic cliffs, caves, stacks and islands, making it one of the Coast Path’s most iconic beaches. It is also of national importance for its fossils and the unusual plant life in its slumped cliffs. Bus back from Mawgan Porth.
  This has been blogged by Ruth Livingstone on coastalwalker.co.uk and there are lots of her photos she has taken en route
• Bedruthan Steps linear walk 2.7miles
  From Porthcothan to Bedruthan. Moderate walk using bus back or double the distance and walk back
  A circular walk (including the bus journey), passing sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs before reaching the iconic Bedruthan Steps. A good walk in spring, when colonies of seabirds nest among clumps of pink-headed thrift on the cliffs and the coastal grasslands high above the bright sea are dotted with the blue stars of spring squill.
  
• Constantine to Porthcothan circular walk 4.9m
  Easy to moderate walk to do in reverse from Porthcothan
  The route follows along the coast from Constantine Bay to Treyarnon, then past a series of deep inlets to Porthcothan. The return route is fairly quick, via some lanes, so you can linger on the coastal stretch and explore the headlands between the inlets, or the beaches at low tide.
• Trevose Head circular walk 6.1miles
  Easy walk
  The walk starts at Constantine Bay and follows the coast path around Trevose Head, passing Booby’s Bay and a collapsed cave, before reaching Dinas Head and the lighthouse. The route follows the coast path around Trevose Head before reaching the sandy beaches of Mother Ivey’s and Harlyn Bay. The return route is fairly quick, following lanes back to Constantine.
• Porthcothan to Harlyn Bay linear walk 6.8miles
  Easy to moderate. Bus back
  The walk starts at Porthcothan and follows the coast path past a series of inlets used by smugglers to Treyarnon, and from here to Constantine Bay. The route then passes Booby’s Bay and a collapsed cave, before reaching Dinas Head and the lighthouse. The final section is above the sandy beaches of Mother Ivey’s Bay to reach Harlyn Bay.
• Porthcothan to Trevone linear walk 9miles
  This has been blogged by Ruth Livingstone on coastalwalker.co.uk and there are lots of her photos she has taken en route
• Padstow to Porthcothan linear walk 13.5miles
  Easy walk (do other way round and bus back from Padstow)
  This section of Coast Path offers a day of easy walking along low cliffs, with beautiful, tempting beaches below. The path leaves the attractive town of Padstow behind, passing the sheltered beach of Hawker’s Cove, before leading you out to the Atlantic Coast. The path can become narrow in places and is quite rocky around Constantine Bay. Walking round Trevose Head, one of Cornwall’s most prominent headlands, provides spectacular views of the sandy bays ahead.
• Padstow Town circular walk 3.6miles
  Moderate walk
  The walk follows Padstow harbour to the North Quay and then the Coast Path to the war memorial. The route follows back lanes to Prideaux Place and then re-enters the town through the churchyard and another back lane. The walks cuts down a “drang” from the harbour to join the Saint’s Way and follows this to the obelisk on Dennis Hill where there are exceptional views. The return to Padstow is along the Camel Trail past the National Lobster Hatchery.
• Harlyn to Padstow linear walk 6.7miles
  A moderate walk using a bus back
  After a bus journey from Padstow to Harlyn, the route follows the coast path along the sandy beaches of Harlyn and Trevone. It then follows the rugged coastline – consisting of arches, stacks, collapsed caves and blowholes – to Stepper Point. From here, the route passes the Doom Bar on the way up the estuary to Padstow, via the coves known locally as Tregirls beach.
• Trevone to Padstow circular walk 7.1miles
  Moderate walk
  From Trevone beach, the route follows the coast path to Stepper Point, before turning up the Camel Estuary to reach Hawker’s Cove, which at low tide merges with Harbour Cove and St George’s Cove into a single huge beach that you can walk along as an alternative to the coast path. From here, the route continues to the war memorial overlooking Padstow harbour. The return route goes through Padstow, past the church and manor house at Prideaux Place and along lanes and tracks to Trevone via Padstow Farm Shop.
• Mother Ivey & Constantine circular walk 6.2miles
  Start at Constantine or Harlyn Bay.
  Moderate but level walk on good footpaths passing the lighthouse at Trevose Head.
  A route through a land of legend, including prehistoric burial grounds and cliff castles, sixth-century Celtic saints and a sixteenth-century witch’s curse! There are dramatic rock features and tiny coves as well as the long sandy beach at Constantine Bay with rolling breakers and a backdrop of dunes and marram grass. Take a picnic and make a day of it.
• Sir John Betjamin Circular Walk from Rock 3.7miles
  Easy walk from Rock Quarry Car Park (or after crossing on the ferry from Padstow)
  A gentle walk through dunes noted for their wildlife, beside the golden beaches lining the eastern bank of the River Camel. Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman moved here towards the end of his life, and he is buried in the churchyard of the tiny St Enodoc Church. Open daily from 7.30am until dusk, the fifteenth-century church was built on the site of a fifth-century Celtic saint’s shrine and throughout history it was repeatedly buried in sand following the curse of an enraged mermaid. On Brea Hill, one time a Roman lookout station, there are Bronze Age burial mounds, and the walk features an optional detour to the holy well used by the Welsh hermit Enodoc to baptise his converts.  Daymar Bay is dog friendly.
  
• Newquay Headlands Walk 5miles
  Starting at Newquay Golf Club, head down the path between fairways towards the world famous Fistral Beach. Turn left along the sand dune track winding its way towards the southern end of the beach and the first headland we’re visiting, Pentire. Walk along the coastal track to Pentire Head affording spectacular views of Fistral Beach in one direction and Crantock Beach and the Gannel Estuary in the other.We’re heading back the way we came, this time walking down the steps and onto Fistral Beach. Admire the surfers pitting their skills against the renowned surf before turning right by the surf school and rejoining the coastal path skirting past The Headland. You’re now walking towards Towan Head, our second headland. Here you will find the old lifeboat station (now an artist’s studio) and from the top, amazing views along the north coast, past Watergate Bay and all the way to Trevose Head and Lighthouse. Continue along the costal path to our walk’s end at the harbour, making sure that you make time to stop at the Huer’s Hut, a reminder of the once thriving industry of Pilchard fishing up and down the Cornish coast.  Amenities: Lewinnick Lodge on Pentire Head. Windswept Cafe on Fistral Beach, Fistral Beach Surf Centre or Towan Head

Walks nearby inland

• Mawgan Porth to St Mawgan circular walk 4.4miles
  Easy to moderate walk
  The walk starts from Mawgan Porth, and follows the river towards Retorrick Mill, then crosses into the Menalhyl valley and follows the Vale of Lanherne to Windsor Mill. The route then crosses the River Menalhyl to St Mawgan before returning via the churchyard and through meadows and woodland to Mawgan Porth.
• St Columb Major to St Mawgan circular walk 7.3miles
  Easy to Moderate walk
  After passing through the winding streets of St Columb, the walk follows footpaths and lanes along the edge of Vale of Lanherne to Lanvean. The route then descends into the valley and crosses the River Menalhyl to St Mawgan. The return route follows a path through the broadleaf woodland alongside the river to reach Little Haveor, where a small lane leads back into St Columb Major.
• St Issey to Seam Mills circular walk 3.5miles
  Easy to moderate walk
  The route descends into the river valley below St Issey and follows the river past Melingey Mill and joins the Saint’s Way to Little Petherick. From here, the route follows the edge of the creek to the tidal enclosure at Sea Mills. The return route is along small lanes, passing Trevorrick Farm and the Pickwick Inn before returning to St Issey via the Ring O’ Bells Inn.
• Porth Reservor circular walk 5,2 miles
  Easy to moderate walk
  The walk starts along the edge of the reservoir, passing birds hides and following the Nature Trail and woodland path to reach a track which was once the main driveway through the Nanswhyden estate. The walk passes the ruins of Nanswhyden House and Fir Hill Manor which fell into ruin when its heir never claimed it. The route follows lanes to Colan church and Nanswhyden Farm via the ford at Trengoose. The route then circles the valley before descending via the mill at Melancoose to complete the circular walk.