5 Best Beaches in Cornwall for Sea Glass

Searching for Sea Glass

Tumbled and withered by waves and tides, sea glass is one of the shoreline’s most enchanting discoveries. Originating from old bottles, these once jagged fragments have been conjured by the push and pull of the ocean into beautiful art forms often used by jewellery makers to help capture the essence of the sea.

Anyone can hunt for sea glass, it arrives along the strand line in an array of tints and hues – orange and turquoise being among the rarest finds and white the most common, and sometimes more than one hundred years old!

Here are five of Cornwall’s most abundant sea glass beaches for all those keen to find some glinting treasures in the shingle.

1. Portreath Beach

Sheltered by the magnificent sandstone cliffs of the Godrevy coastline, this enchanting beach is also a cradle for sea glass. Scattered drifts are washed ashore by the Atlantic rollers, a collector’s dream on a clear day after the stormy seas have subdued and the tide has recoiled. You can easily while away a couple of hours sifting the sands of this pretty harbour and fishing port, one of the north Cornish coast’s many hidden gems.

2. Marazion Beach

This mile-long sandy beach is swathed by pebble drifts, the ideal hunting ground for sea glass, with the added bonus of spectacular views of St Michael’s Mount and its historic tidal causeway cast in granite. It’s particularly well-known for blues, mauves, seafoam green and aqua, hidden among the shells and often spotted close to the rockpools.

This sweeping shore on Mounts Bay remains surprisingly quiet, despite its attachment to Marazion, one of west Cornwall’s most visited coastal towns. The waters are renowned for being clean and safe with the added advantage of the local amenities of the adjacent town. There are also lifeguards on patrol during the summer season.

You might also try your luck along the neighbouring shingle strands of Longrock Beach and Eastern Green.

3. Sennen Cove

The gleaming breaks of Sennen are popular among surfers, its turquoise waters and golden sands loved by all those who visit. Hidden along the shoreline are an abundance of tumbled glass, gently polished by the push and pull of the Atlantic. This cove can get busy, so pick your times or explore out of season if you’re looking to avoid the seasonal crowds. You might have better luck around the old harbour, but who really knows where these magical mermaid’s jewels might wash up. Head for the Penwith Heritage Coast and you’ll discover the cove two miles further up the peninsula from Land’s End.

4. Towan Beach

Not far from the bright lights of Newquay lies Towan Beach. Sheltered by steep cliffs, these soft golden sands are regularly scoured by seaglass hunters. The beach’s impressive seventy-foot sea stack, known as Jago’s Island, was once home to Alexander Marshall Lodge (inventor of the spark plug). The ebbing tide links up Towan to the series of beaches that help form the two-mile sweep along Newquay Bay. You’ll have great fun seeing what glinting treasures have been left behind by the retreating ocean. The rockpool catchments are a great place to start looking.

5. Maenporth Beach

Maenporth Beach sis a secluded and gently shelving beach on Falmouth Bay that extends past the rockpools at low tide and reveals lots of fascinating marine life. When the tide has ebbed, you can combe the beach for sea glass and shells, and if you get your timing right, you can have the beach to yourselves. Keep your eyes peeled for green milk sea glass, which could date back to the Victorian era.

The beautiful beaches of Cornwall remain prime sea glass foraging grounds, the winter months the best time to scour, especially at low tide during the calm that follows the storm.

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