Best Beaches in Cornwall, from someone who lives there

Demelza Cottage is situated inland, equidistant from Padstow, Newquay, Bodmin, and St Austell, making it the ideal spot to explore Cornwall’s stunning beaches, north and south.

We thought we’d make it easy for you to plan your beach day, according to what you want out of it, so we have selected five beaches, all stunningly beautiful, but offering slightly different things to the holidaymaker.

Best beach for swimming and watersports; Porthpean

Situated just a couple of miles outside of St Austell, Porthpean is a little tucked-away treasure, and with a reasonably-priced car park, it offers a relatively cheap day out on the beach.

There is a yacht club near the beach should you want to hire a boat, and kayak and paddleboard hire during the summer. The water is shallow and generally the waves are calm, so it’s a good spot to take young children to play in the sea.

Access to the car park is via lanes, so be prepared to reverse if you need to, but it is worth it for this little treasure.

Many people love to watch the sunset from the north beaches, but we have seen the most fantastic moonrise from this beach, so when it’s full moon, it’s definitely worth taking a BBQ, wrapping up warm and heading down there.

There are toilet facilities and a small café next to the beach.

Best beach for people-watching: Fistral

Fistral Beach is the surf-capital of Cornwall and has everything you might need for a day on the beach, including surfboard hire, some great restaurants, and beach shopping.

Overlooked by the imposing red-brick and turreted Headland Hotel, it is one of the most popular beaches in Cornwall. As a result, it’s great for people watching, and the occasional celebrity-spotting.

It is a stunningly beautiful beach with a wide expanse of sand, so it is easy to find a space, sit back and take in the atmosphere which is pretty unique to this part of Cornwall.

In late summer, it is home to the surfing festival, Boardmasters.

In the evening, barbecues and beach fires are ignited, with the backdrop of Ibiza-style music from the beach bar, ideal for a chilled evening watching the sun disappear beyond the horizon.

Just one word of caution. Many people have been caught out by the parking-eye in the main carpark. If you hang around waiting for a space, you may be charged a fine for non-payment of parking fees.

There is also additional parking at the neighbouring beach of Little Fistral, accessed behind the Headland Hotel.

Best beach for dogs: Watergate Bay

Most of the North Cornwall beaches near us are dog-friendly. A few have restrictions at certain times of year, or they are restricted to off-peak times of day.

One of our favourite beaches to walk the dog is Watergate Bay. There’s not much beach at high tide, but when the tide is out, there is a mile of golden sand, rock pools and caves to explore. It can get busy around the main access to the beach, but once away from the crowd, it is easy to find a secluded spot for the family and your furry friend. The tide can come in quite quickly, so do please make sure that you are aware of the tide times to avoid being cut off.

During spring tides, it is often possible to walk the entire stretch from Watergate to Newquay along the beach, but again check tide times and maybe come back along the coast path to avoid the incoming tide.

The beach is a haven for experienced surfers and surfing tuition is available. It can get quite windy, so a wind-break and some warm clothing is advised. Please follow the advice of the lifeguards as there can be some strong currents and rip tides along this stretch of beach.

If you would like lunch at Watergate, we love The Beach Hut. With the most fantastic views, it’s a great place to dine, but we recommend you book in advance, as it gets very busy.

Points to note: Park in the council car park for best rates, usually free after 4pm. Toilets are a fair walk back from the beach.

Best beach for seal spotting: Polly Joke

Situated to the West of Crantock is the headland of West Pentire and onwards to Polly Joke and Holywell Bay.

During the month of June, this area can get quite busy as it is one of the most photographed headlands for its poppies, but it’s a great spot if you want to combine a decent walk with a few hours on a generally uncrowded beach.

Park in the main car park and follow the road down past an old gramophone restoration shop. Turn left and this path takes you towards the main headland with views of Crantock Beach to your right.

The path then steers left through a field and onwards towards Polly Joke beach. There are no lifeguards at this beach and it is known to have strong rip tides, so please be mindful if bathing.

Carry onwards along a beautiful stretch of coast path, for about three miles to get to Holywell Bay, where there are refreshments and a pub. Take a little peak from the cliff top at some of the coves near Polly Joke, as there are often seals basking in the inlets.

Points to note: no toilets until Holywell Bay. The descent into Holywell Bay is across sand dunes and can be quite challenging.

Best Beach for Rock Pooling: Constantine Bay

This is probably one of my favourite all-round beaches. Not too crowded in summer and with something for everyone. It’s long enough for a decent walk, there are rock pools at either end of the beach, refreshments and toilets are available and there is ample parking close to the beach.

The sand is a beautiful orange/yellow and has many sea shells for the kids to discover and with some large sand pools, it is safe for the younger children to paddle around in the shallow water, without you having to join them.

On both ends of the beach is a relatively flat rocky area, ideal for crabbing and netting.

When arriving close to Constantine Bay, you are likely to see signs for car parking near the beach shop, but it is quite a long walk from there and we recommend you turn right at the shop and head down towards the beach. There is private parking on a nearby field. It’s a bit expensive (about £7 regardless of how long you stay), but if you’re heading to the beach for the day, it’s worth it to not have to walk too far.

Best beach to avoid the crowds: Hawkers and Harbour Cove

Hawkers Cove is a small cove adjacent to Harbour Cove, a larger expanse of beach which sits on the sand banks of the Camel Estuary.

This is a stunning stretch of coastline with azure blue waters and sand as far as the eye can see when the tide rolls out. Its shallow waters make it idea for children to paddle without getting out of their depth. In fact, you can walk out for about half a mile and still touch the bottom, but the tide does roll in and out quickly, so be prepared to move belongings frequently as the tide rolls in.

It’s a little difficult to find, but head towards Padstow Farm Shop and pick up the sign for Hawkers Cove. Continue on this road until the end and you will find free parking before heading down to Hawkers Cove, or there is paid parking closer towards Harbour Cove.