Beaches

Cornwall is blessed with an abundance of beautiful beaches, with something for everyone – whether you want an accessible stretch of golden sand, or a hike to a quiet cove.  Here are our favourites from around the Cornish coastline, you can find further info by searching about each beach online.

The north coast beaches are best for surfing, although on occasion there can be decent surf on the south coast.  Consequently south coast beaches tend to be a little quieter.

Talland Bay – 15 mins drive from Botelet
Our nearest beach, just south of Botelet.  Great for families – you can drive right down and park next to the beach-side café.  A relatively small beach with some stoney sand, lots of rockpooling opportunities and the Talland Bay Beach Café sells buckets, spades etc along with coffee, lunch and cake.  Public toilets just above the beach.

For local but a little quieter, head to ‘Stinkers’ – the little cove just East of main Talland beach.  Drive down to Talland Bay then follow the road round to the left at the bottom, rather than right into the café car park.  There is a small car park above Stinkers beach.

Palace Cove – 15 mins drive then 15 mins walk from Botelet
Our current family favourite – beautiful quiet cove which is never too busy!  It’s a lovely drive along the lanes, park at Frogmore Car Park (PL23 1NP) and there is a National Trust map directing you to Palace Cove along with Lansallos and Lantic, which are East and West respectively of Palace Cove.  It’s a 15 minute walk across fields to reach the cove which is stoney rather than sandy but with lots of interesting rocks to swim around or jump off, depending on where the tide is.  Bring a picnic – no cafés or public services, hence so few people!

 If you enjoy hiking, you can walk the coastal path from Lansallos to Lantic, around Pencarrow Head – a stunning section of the coastline.

Lansallos – 15 mins drive then 15 mins walk from Botelet
Another beautiful relatively remote beach, bigger than Palace Cove.  Drive to the hamlet of Lansallos then it’s a 15 minute walk down a lane to the beach. Stoney/sandy, lovely for kids to play. As with Palace, no conveniences or shops in Lansallos.

Lantic Bay – 15 mins drive then 20 mins walk including a steep cliff with steps
One of the South coast of Cornwall’s greatest gems – long stretches of golden shingle.  Due to limited accessibility down (then back up!) the steep cliff steps, relatively few people visit – although Lantic is becoming better known and there are more boats heading over from Fowey.  For people looking for a secluded escape, or for families with active kids, it’s a gem.

You can access Lantic Bay from Frogmore Car Park (PL23 1NP) then it’s approx. 20 minute walk around Pencarrow Head and down the cliff steps to Lantic, or via Lantic Bay/Pencarrow Head Car Park (postcode?)

Looe – 15 mins drive from Botelet
The fishing port of Looe is split into two by the river – East Looe has a sandy beach (gets very busy on a hot summer’s day) and West Looe is much quieter, a few stoney sections of beach that are accessible to play on/swim from, but comes into its own at low tide when the causeway leading to Looe Island becomes visible – great for rockpooling or swimming from. East Looe is a good option if you want cafés, ice creams and fishing nets available in abundance – children can go crabbing from the harbour wall adjacent to the beach - but beware the crowds of sunny school holiday days. 

Whitsand Bay – approx. 35 mins drive from Botelet
Whitsand Bay is a glorious stretch of long, sandy beach and is much quieter than the north coast equivalents like Watergate Bay.  It’s harder to access – you have to walk down a path that can be steep at times, depending upon which part of the beach you choose to access.  Below Whitsand Bay Holiday Park is a path down to the beach, at the bottom is the Eddystone Café, and near the top is the Cliff Top Café.  The cliffside is peppered with rustic chalets built in the 1960s(?) which make for an interesting setting.  This is definitely not a beach for buggies or anyone with mobility issues.  There are a couple of sections of beach that are life-guarded, but most isn’t.  

Check the tides – the beach almost disappears at high tide, so low tide is a must.  Great for rockpooling and running wild in a beautiful, relatively quiet landscape.

Polkerris – approx. 30 mins drive from Botelet
Polkerris is a lovely, family-friendly beach with golden sand and a harbour wall that means the sea tends to stay relatively calm beach-side.  Great for swimming, bucket-and-spades, there’s also a great watersports centre based right on the beach (www.polkerrisbeach.com).  Book ahead to eat at Sam’s on the Beach restaurant, or there’s the Rashleigh Arms – also set right on the beach – for a sundowner pint or hot chocolate in winter. The car park is a 5 minute walk from the beach, down a tarmac lane to accessible for buggies.

To get to Polkerris from Botelet – either drive to Bodinnick (15 mins – opposite Fowey) then take your car over the estuary on the Bodinnick Ferry, and it’s a further 5-10 mins drive to Polkerris, or drive around the head of the estauray via Lostwithiel (approx. 30 mins). 

Polzeath – approx. 40 mins drive from Botelet
Polzeath is a fantastic family beach – long, sandy, rockpooling areas at each side of the bay, a handful of surf shops and cafes right down at the beach and a great place for learning to surf or bodyboard (there are Surf Schools and hire places on the beach, see Activities page). There is a car park at the top of the beach (although arrive early for this in school holidays) or other car parks are 5 minutes walk away.  

Pentire Head to the north, and Daymer Bay to the south both make for fantastic walks from Polzeath.

Be warned – Polzeath gets extremely busy during the summer holidays, we tend to avoid it during peak summer season.

Watergate Bay – approx. 35 mins drive from Botelet
Another great surfing and family-friendly beach, with lots of options for hiring surf boards and wetsuits or having lessons.  Right on the beach you have the Beach Hut Café, and above it Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant.  There’s also the Watergate Bay Hotel right at the beach which non-residents are welcome for coffee or in the restaurant.  There’s also a basic beach café and shop. Gets very busy during peak summer season.

Kynance Cove – approx. 1 hour 40 mins drive from Botelet
The Lizard is a fabulous area to explore on a day trip (see section X) – and if you’re heading that way, Kynance Cove is a must.  A beautiful sandy beach with white stand, dramatic rock stacks, and low tide reveals lots of little caves that are great for exploring with kids.  If you’re a beach lover, it’s almost worth making Kynance Cove the focal point for your day trip.  There’s a National Trust café down on the beach, takes a bit of walking along a path to access the beach, there is a longer route for buggies, but not the easiest option if you have a baby on wheels.  Best at mid or low tide, can get very busy on a hot summer’s day.

Dogs & beaches
For many of Cornwall’s beaches, dogs are only permitted between the end of October and Easter – but each beach is different.You can find information about each beach by going to the Cornwall Council website, and searching for ‘Dogs on beaches’ – www.cornwall.gov.uk