10 Great Cornish Beaches

If there is one thing that Cornwall cannot be accused of, it’s having a lack of beautiful sandy beaches. With 296 miles of coastline stretching from Bude in the North all the way round to Torpoint in the South it has the longest coastline of all the English Counties, and five of it’s beaches proudly boast the prestigious blue flag award for water quality and cleanliness.

The beaches awarded the blue flag include:

Porthmeor – a short distance from the town of St.Ives, Porthmeor is a popular destination for families during the main summer season, and also an all year round favourite for surfers.

Porthminster – another of the beaches in the St.Ives area, with it’s golden sands and usually calm waters is a firm favourite with families, as it has excellent all-round facilities and is considered one of the safest bathing beaches.

Polzeath – is sand and shingle beach and yet another haven for the surfing community. Situated in the north of the county at Lundy Bay, between Padstow and Port Isaac, it is well attended by lifeguards throughout the season due to big waves and rip tides.

Porthtowan – yet another of Cornwall’s north coast blue flag beaches lying a short distance from the town of St.Agnes, has great facilities, beautiful cliff top walks and views.

Gyllyngvase beach – near Falmouth, is again very popular with families and has excellent facilities for the disabled and for children. During the summer season though, a beach-wide ban on dogs is effective.

More of Cornwall’s excellent beaches include Portreath, to the north-west of Redruth, with it’s golden sands and on-site surf life saving club it is very popular with the body-boarding fraternity; then there is also the famous Watergate Bay beach near Newquay, which is home to a number of extreme water sports, and also Fifteen, the restaurant of famed chef Jamie Oliver.

South coast gems include an array of small coves such as Mullion Cove, Polperro Beach and Porthluney Cove Beach near Mevagissey, not to mention the many ancient fishing ports and working harbours to visit, all with their unique brand of local Cornish charm to help make your visit a memorable one!