Tom's beach lowdown

Living on the map-edge has never deterred us from adventures – in fact it has positively encouraged exploration.  Be it wild-swimming at inlets along the coast-path or family days picnicking on sandy expanses: we’ve an insight into the area’s beaches that only comes with local knowledge.  Tom’s Cottage seaside guide has now arrived, to coincide with summer being in the air.

Family beaches

Port Gaverne

• 2 miles from TC, ideal bathing, child & dog friendly.
• A natural inlet with sand, rock pools and caves revealed at mid to low tide.
• Tag’s Pit also exposed at low tide – a natural mini haven with sandy shallows and rocks to sunbathe on.
• Facilites: Cornish Rock Tours (kayaking, paddle-boarding and more), Pilchards Café and the pub Port Gaverne Hotel
• Appeal: unspoilt traditional Cornish cove

Port Quin

• 4 miles from TC, sheltered waters, child & dog friendly
• Similar to Port Gaverne but without any services.
• Sand, rockpools & caves at mid to low tide; totally uncommercialised.
• Facilities: Cornish Coast Adventure (kayaking/paddle-boarding)
• Appeal: fishing hamlet that time forgot

Trebarwith Strand

• 4¼ miles from TC, sandy beach at low tide (rocks only at high tide), dogs permitted
• Scenic cove, great sunsets but strong currents
• Facilities: lifeguard in high season, beach shop & pub
• Appeal: north coast ruggedness

Polzeath

• 6 miles from TC, surf & sand, no dogs 15^th May - 30^th Sept 10am-6pm
• Blue Flag and Seaside Award for water quality and facilities including loos and disabled access.
• Busy in high season but great for body-boarding & surfing.
• Facilities: lifeguard Easter to early autumn, surf schools & kit hire, cafés, shops & ice creams
• Appeal: waves to ride and surf brand shopping

Daymer Bay

• 7 miles from TC, sand & shallow water bathing, child & dog friendly
• A beautiful family beach on the sheltered shore of the Camel Estuary.
• Sand at all stages of tide, but narrow access lane.
• Facilities: basic beach shop, gentle coastpath to Polzeath and dependant on tide: a walk along the beach to Rock.
• Appeal: heaven for young families

Port Isaac (½mile from Port Gaverne)

• 2½ miles from TC, sand at low tide, dog friendly; small working harbour with breakwaters
• Fishing village centred around The Platt & slipway at the top of the beach, parking at top of village only (steep street walk down to the harbour)
• Narrow alleys full of character, home of Doc Martin’s Port Wenn & the Fisherman’s Friends
• Facilities: boat trips, fresh fish purveyors (including shellfish), giftshops, cafés & restaurants (including Nathan Outlaw), pub & chip shop
• Appeal: picturesque with set-jetting lure yet still full of local micro-businesses

Boscastle

• 8 miles from TC, small part-time fishing boats, breakwaters in a natural haven, dog friendly
• Near Tintagel and its castle, Boscastle attracts more cliff-walkers than bucket & spade brigade
• Flat stroll from car park alongside stream to harbour, great farm shop at top of hill (drive it!)
• Facilities: pubs, cafés, hikers’ & other shops, galleries and witchcraft museum
• Appeal: heritage and contrasting seascape

Coastpath access

These beaches only reveal themselves at mid to low tide and are lesser known, so provide the greatest chance of solitary enjoyment.  Checking the tide table (in Tom’s Cottage kitchen) and factoring-in time to walk the cliff path essential.  Please do respect sea conditions, mobile signal tends to be tricky on the shoreline.

Port Isaac to Polzeath…

Pine Haven

• Just Port Quin side of Port Isaac (between Lobber Point & Varley Head)
• The coastpath crosses a wooden bridge at the head of the beach in this steep valley.
• Narrow beach, often with a bit of sea-swell.  Idyllic spot.

Epphaven

• Beyond Port Quin (going away from Port Isaac)
• Has its own footpath leading down to the beach from the Port Quin backroad as well as the coastpath passing by.
• Rocks, Mediterranean sand and true Cornish appeal.

Lunday Bay

• Neighbour to Epphaven with broader stretch of sand.
• Also has its own designated footpath from the New Polzeath road (with National Trust car park on the opposite side of the road).  Beautiful valley walk down, can be slightly busier than Epphaven.
• Fabulous sands and wild swimming.

Pentireglaze Haven

• Pentire Point side of Polzeath beach (so the busiest on this list, but the least remote)
• Either walk across Polzeath beach at mid/low tide or park in the National Trust Pentireglaze car park (in the old farmyard) and walk down the valley footpath.
• Quietest in mid to low season, lots of sand and surf.

Port Isaac to Boscastle (the wilder side) …

Tregardock Beach

• On the Port Isaac to Trebarwith stretch of coastpath, with its own valley footpath from the Treligga road (down Tregardock Farm lane)
• A more testing walk for little legs, low water reveals a broad beach with darker sand and rocks. 
• Magnificent in its untamed beauty, the waters here should be revered.

Tintagel Haven

• Below Tintagel Castle a tiny beach at low water.
• Picturesque but not very secluded – worth combining with a visit to the castle.

Bossiney Haven

• On the outskirts of Tintagel (before the Rocky Valley) on the Boscastle road.
• Park at Bossiney with footpath down from the road.
• Where locals take their families on summer evenings.