Porthtowan is very proud to be a Blue Flag beach and has also been awarded a ‘Seaside Award Category A – Resort Bathing Beach’ again. This is the highest UK based award scheme recognising Porthtowan as a great beach with clean water coupled with facilities such as public toilets and car parking. Porthtowan village is suited to everyone – families, couples and singles – and it is extremely popular with surfers and body-boarders. A lovely beach anyway, but especially when the tide is out and an even larger expanse of lovely sand is exposed, stretching from Lushington Cove to Chapel Porth. Interesting rock pools are also exposed at low tide for children to explore – not forgetting the sea water swimming pool hidden behind the rocks on one side (known affectionately as the Mermaid Pool!).  Safe for the family, the beach is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards from Easter until Autumn.

DOGS: The updated seasonal dog ban now only applies from 15^th May to 30^th September between the hours of 10:00 and 18:00. During the restriction times, in the middle of the village there is a large sandy dunes/green area and river where dogs are very welcome and we also have direct access to the stunning SW coastal path.

Portreath beach is set in a valley and is mostly sand with some shingle. A stream runs down the middle of the beach to the sea. Portreath was once a busy port, importing coal and exporting copper. It’s harbour now just houses fishing boats.  It is a popular beach with surfers and bodyboarders. This beach is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards from Easter until Autumn, making it popular with families, and it has a lovely surf life saving club right on the beach.

DOGS: There is a seasonal dog ban from 1^st July to 31^st August between the hours of 10:00 and 18:00.

A rural beach managed by the National Trust, Chapel Porth can be a little tricky to find, set right at the bottom of a mining valley between Porthtowan and St Agnes.  It isn’t the easiest to access as you have to negotiate your way across lots of big pebbles and rocks to get to the sand and when the tide is in you won’t find much of it.  However, when the tide is out a very large expanse of sand is exposed, joining up Chapel Porth and Porthtowan beaches meaning that you can walk to Porthtowan when the tide is right (always ask the lifeguards before you set off, as there is a very small window when you can do this and there is a risk of being cut-off). It is on the cliffs near Chapel Porth that you will find the iconic Wheal Coates mining ruins. If you visit the little café in the car park be sure to check out their ‘hedgehog ice creams’!  This beach is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards from Easter until Autumn.

DOGS: There is a seasonal dog ban from 1^st July to 31^st August between the hours of 10:00 and 18:00.

Trevaunance Cove is the main beach in St Agnes, accessed down a small incline. It is a mix of sand and shingle and is dominated by the high cliffs to the north.  Low tide reveals numerous rock pools and caves and it is very popular with families. Why not take a kayak out and explore?  This beach is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards from Easter until Autumn.

DOGS: Allowed all year, but in July and August they must be kept on a lead.

Perranporth has a large sandy beach and is well known for housing the only Cornish pub to stand literally right on the beach (The Watering Hole). Perranporth is the archetypal beachside town and the beach gets incredibly busy over the summer.  At low tide it joins up with the neighbouring Penhale Sands (a complex of sand dunes and a protected area for its wildlife). Together they form one of the largest stretches of unbroken sand on the North Coast, very popular with surfers. Perranporth beach has a stream, rockpools, caves and Chapel Rock. There is also a small bathing pool on its seaward side.

DOGS: Allowed all year, but in July and August they must be kept on a lead between the hours of 09:00 and 17:00.

Porth beach is located on the eastern outskirts of Newquay and is a lovely sandy beach with a sheltered aspect being protected by headlands on both sides. Porth island to the east, which can be accessed by a narrow footbridge, has some impressive prehistoric defensive earthworks and the remains of a settlement. At the end of the island there is a blow hole which can be seen at mid tide, especially on windy days. The views from here are spectacular looking back towards Newquay Bay and to Park Head in the north. Porth beach is narrow, shallow and has a long tidal drop with an expanse of flat, golden sand that offers safe bathing, making it very popular with families. Like many of the local beaches it is exposed to Atlantic swells. Easy access makes it popular with families and those with walking difficulties. Porth Beach is a 5 minute drive from Newquay or a 25-30 minute walk, there are cafes across the road from the beach and a pub on the beach (The Mermaid). There is no surfing permitted during the summer season when the lifeguards are on duty between the hours of 10:00 and 18:00.

DOGS: A seasonal dog ban applies from 15^th May to 30^th September between the hours of 10:00 and 18:00.

Fistral beach, Newquay, has become cemented as the home of British surfing with the consistency and quality of the surf that it enjoys. Surfer’s and spectators alike enjoy the location from beautifully calm days to the adrenaline filled days where Cornwall’s big wave the Cribbar is being surfed by the hardiest of surfers. Fistral beach is in the middle of two headlands that funnel in powerful, hollow waves which regularly reach heights of between 6 and 8 feet. On shore there are plenty of opportunities to book surf lessons or hire gear and a complex of cafes, takeaways and shops is located on the beach. Or you can just lie on the beach and watch the action from afar! Hosting a range of events throughout the year; including Europe’s largest surf and skate festival, Boardmaster’s in August, it is always worth seeing what’s on at Fistral.

Click on this link to find out details of the RNLI lifeguard service:

https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeguarded-beaches

Advice from the RNLI for staying safe on the beach:

• Wherever possible, swim at a lifeguarded beach.
• Always read and obey the safety signs, usually found at the entrance to the beach. These will help you avoid potential hazards on the beach and identify the safest areas for swimming.
• When on a lifeguarded beach, find the red and yellow flags and always swim or bodyboard between them – this area is patrolled by the lifeguards.
• Never swim alone.
• If you get into trouble, stick your hand in the air and shout for help.
• If you see someone in difficulty, don’t attempt a rescue. Tell a lifeguard or, if you can’t see a lifeguard, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.

DOGS: We are really pleased that Cornwall Council have announced a change for 2020 and the dog restrictions that were previously in place on many beaches from Easter Day until 30th September will now only be in place in July and August (and only between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm).

Blue Flag beaches will have slightly different dates, with the restrictions only in effect from 15th May to 30th September and again only between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm. This means that, as well as full access for a much greater part of the year, we can now exercise dogs in the mornings and evenings of the other months!

Re: Porthtowan during the Blue Flag restriction times, dogs are always very welcome on the exercise green/dunes area and also in the river that runs through the village.