32 Beaches to Explore in Cornwall

Checkout places to visit in Cornwall

One of the UK’s favourite summer destinations, holiday makers flock to Cornwall for its sandy beaches and surf-ready waves but look beyond the coastline and you’ll be rewarded with world-class galleries, fantastic food and many one-of-a-kind attractions.

Popular Activities And Trips in Cornwall

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Beaches to Explore in Cornwall

Carbis Bay Beach

Carbis Bay Beach is a beautiful white sand beach and one of Cornwall's seven award-winning Blue Flag 2019 beaches, with safe bathing beach surrounded by subtropical splendour. A good beach where you can spend with your family and also there are so many activities there.

Chapel Porth Beach

A dramatic cove set in a mining valley between high cliffs. Chapel Porth is managed by the National Trust who run the car park and the small cafe here. The cliffs here are home to what is probably Cornwall’s most iconic old mining ruins,Wheal Coates.

Crantock beach is a beautiful sandy beach at the mouth of the River Gannel estuary, bordered by sand dunes with a Car park nearby. At the southern end of the beach are high cliffs providing some shelter from the wind. To the north is the mouth of the River Gannel. The steep cliffs here are a haven for seabirds and at low tide you can explore the cave which has carvings dating back over 100 years.

Crooklets Beach

A wide expanse of golden sand is exposed at low tide, bordered by rocky outcrops ideal for rock-pooling. It is A wide expanse of golden sand is exposed at low tide, bordered by rocky outcrops ideal for rock-pooling. The beach has great facilities including a large car park, level access and viewing area, a play area, skate park, beach cafe, showers, amusements and pubs close by.

A stunning beach that at low tide forms long stretches of golden sand backed by dunes from Daymer Bay to Rock with superb views across Camel Estuary. At south the end of the beach is the grassy mound of Braey Hill which is worth a climb for excellent views of the area.

East Looe Beach

East Looe beach is a perfect location for swimming as the beach gently shelves providing easy access especially for the little ones. At low tide there is a large gently sloping sandy beach which is generally safe for swimming, although it is not recommended to swim by the river mouth beyond the pier. It offers good, safe swimming, the eastern end of the beach is rockier and hence less crowded than the western end, which starts at the Banjo Pier.

Fistral Beach is quite simply one of the most consistent and best surfing beaches in the UK and Europe. With jewel-blue sea and a never-ending stretch of golden sand, Fistral is the perfect family beach, offering simple pleasures of sea, sand and surf combined. Fistral is the playground for hundreds of enthusiasts who flock to the beach to get a fix of the big waves.

A vastt sandy beach which was surropunded by high cliffs and dramatic coves. Owned by the National Trust, it takes the brunt of the Atlantic swell and is one of the more exposed beaches of the North coast. From buckets and spades on sunny summer days to classic rugged Cornish splendour on a stormy winter's day, Godrevy offers the ultimate outdoor experience.

Gyllyngvase Beach

Gyllyngvase Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Cornwall, a Blue Flag status beach, with its wide arc of golden sand and inviting sea. Great amenities, with award-winning cafe, yet still only a 15 minute walk away from Falmouth town center. It is a popular year-round sea swimming spot and it also offers paddleboarding, coasteering, snorkeling, kayaking, and more, right off the beach.

A beautiful beach that was located on the more sheltered eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula, not far from the tip. It was covered with masses of sand , a stream and rock pools a plenty kids love Kennack Sands. The beach to the east is designated as a nature reserve so please treat it with respect, it can be reached via the footpath that runs along the back of the beach and over Carn Kennack.

Lusty Glaze Beach

Lusty Glaze is a beautiful beach in Newquay, Cornwall. which is privately owned although it has full public access. An outdoor activity company runs a range of beach-based activities. The cove is naturally sheltered by high cliffs. Lusty Glaze is a Cornish tourist attraction with 133 steps from the clifftop to the beach below.

Mount's Bay is a magnificent sweep of bay that stretches from Mousehole and Newlyn towards the Lizard. At its center is the magical island of St Michael's Mount, crowned by its striking castle which rises from the sea like a fairytale palace. It is possible to follow the coastal footpath along this beautiful section of Cornwall's south coast to explore rocky coves such as Prussia Cove, Kynance Cove and the historic fishing harbours of Porthleven and Mullion.

Nanjizal Beach is a beach that is pretty boulder strewn cove with unusually clear water. The beach used to be much more sandy but after storms around 20 years ago much of it was washed away. |It is also a good spot for seal watching, particularly round the corner at Zawn Reeth. The gulley along the left side of the beach ending in a narrow archway is known as "song of the sea".

National Trust - Carnewas at Bedruthan Steps

National Trust - Carnewas at Bedruthan Steps is a coastline on the north Cornish coast between Padstow and Newquay, in Cornwall, England. The cliffed coastline is laden with rocks stretching along its beach and is a popular spot for tourists and painters. The most well-known of them is the impressive series of rock stacks on a small sandy beach.

Pentire is a stretch of coast in North Cornwall that boasts beautiful headlands jutting out into the Atlantic sea. If you look to the south and west you'll see the expanse of Padstow Bay, where the mouth of the River Camel and its tributaries were 'drowned' by melting ice after the last glaciation and now form wide creeks. One of the iconic location where you can spend some nice time.

Perranporth Beach

One of the largest stretches of unbroken sand on the North Coast. At one end is Perranporth, the archetypal beach town with the high street backing onto the sand. Progressing towards Penhale Point an extensive network of sand dunes rise behind the beach. This is a Special Area of Conservation and also home to a buried church. It’s the beach everyone raves about and billed as a great place for surfing, snorkeling, sailing, and generally splashing around.

This large beach north of Wadebridge attracts a multitude of surfers due to its easily accessible location and long slow breaking consistent waves. The beach itself is enormous at low tide, extending around half a mile in all directions. At high tide however the beach shrinks to just a small patch of sand in front of the village. This area is rich in both sealife and birdlife with dolphin sightings common along with the odd puffin too.

Porth beach is a famous white sand beach and has a large area of flat golden sand that offers safe bathing. There's level access to the beach and there is pleasant walking around Porth Island. The long tidal drop reveals many beautiful rock pools and some fascinating sea life; in addition, due to its position being protected by headlands on both sides, it is very sheltered.

Map of Beaches to Explore in Cornwall