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Beaches in Cornwall
Blue Flag is a prestigious, international award scheme which acts as a guarantee to tourists that a beach or marina they are visiting is one of the best in the world.
Thanks to our unique position on the south west peninsula 80% of Cornwall is surrounded by water, giving us the longest stretch of coastline in the UK at 697km.
In fact, in Cornwall you are never more than 16 miles from the sea, which makes almost everyone in the county a bit of a fanatic when it comes to the water. And with over 300 beaches to choose from, who can blame them!
For centuries fishermen and even the odd pirate have reaped the benefit of the rugged coastline, which today is a haunt for people who surf, scuba dive, sail or just simply lie on the sand and watch the clouds drift by.
Head to the north coast if you fancy a day stretched out on a large expense of golden sand watching Atlantic waves breaking on the shore with surfers following in their wake. Or for secluded coves and sheltered bays make your way to the south coast. But rest assured - whatever beach you choose it will be blessed with the clear waters and picturesque views that put Cornwall's beaches among the best in the world.
In partnership with South West Water, Surfers Against Sewage, the Environment Agency and VisitDevon you can now run a live check on bathing water quality at 9 Cornish beaches: Summerleaze Beach, Bude
Crantock, near Newquay
Gyllyngvase beach, Falmouth
Polzeath beach
Porthleven beach (west)
Porthminster and Porthmeor beaches, St Ives
The Towans, Godrevy, near Hayle
Porthtowan beach, near Redruth
So that Cornwall's beaches can be enjoyed by everyone many have facilities for visitors with disabilities. A number of beaches also have sand chairs available for hire.
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Cornwall's beaches are also popular with our four legged friends and there are a number which are dog friendly all year round. However some beaches operate a seasonal dog ban from Easter day to 1st October. To find out which of Cornwall's beaches do, and do not permit dogs,along with useful information and contacts when bringing your pet on holiday with you click here for our dogs on beaches guide.Please remember that in hot weather beaches may not be the ideal place to take your dog.
If you have lost your dog please contact the Cornwall Council Dog Warden Service on 0300 1234 212.
 | Bedruthan Steps. A large sandy beach with spectacular scenery. Very steep steps to the beach, not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. Dogs allowed all year. Bedruthan Steps Details |
 | Boobys Bay. A wide sandy beach with many rock pools and popular with surfers. Access is by climbing down over rocks. Dogs allowed all year. Boobys Bay Details |
 | Bossiney Haven. A pleasant sandy cove which is completely covered by high tide. Access to the beach is via steep steps which are not suitable for wheel chairs or push chairs. Dogs allowed all year. Bossiney Haven Details |
 | Bude. A large seaside resort with an excellent beach called Summerleaze which includes a free tidal swimming pool. Dogs allowed all year. Bude Details |
 | Chapel Porth. A spacious grey sand beach popular with families. All facilities are close by and access to the beach is via a short walk over rocks. Dogs allowed all year. Chapel Porth Details |
 | Crackington Haven. A large sandy beach with plenty of rock pools and a slipway to the beach. There are excellent views from the 400 foot cliffs. Dog ban in summer. Crackington Haven Details |
 | Constantine Bay. A wide sandy beach with many rock pools and plenty of sand. There is a sloping path to the beach. Dogs allowed all year. Constantine Bay Details |
 | Crantock. A pleasant sandy beach with a huge expanse of sand at low tide. There are also extensive dunes. Dogs allowed all year. Crantock Details |
 | Daymer Bay. A pleasant sandy bay with rock pools to the north of the bay. There are steps to the beach. Dogs allowed all year.Daymer Bay Details |
 | Duckpool. A pleasant sheltered pebble beach with a large amount of sand at low tide. Parking is very limited. Duckpool Details |
 | Fistral Beach. A huge sandy beach which is one of the best surfing beaches in the UK. Sloped access to the beach. Dogs allowed all year. Fistral Beach Details
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 | Harlyn Bay. One of the best family beaches in Cornwall, a wide and spacious beach popular with families and surfers. Dogs allowed all year. Harlyn Bay Details |
 | Holywell Bay. A huge sandy beach with extensive sand dunes, popular with families and surfers. There is level access to the beach. Dogs allowed all year. Holywell Bay Details |
 | Lundy Bay. A small rocky beach with sand at low tide. There are no facilities and the car park is small. There is a climb over rocks to get to the beach. Lundy Bay Details |
 | Mawgan Porth. A wide sandy beach with sand even at high tide. There is level access to the beach. Dogs allowed all year. |
 | Millook Haven. A large pebble beach which is usually quiet due to limited parking and no facilities. Millook Haven Details |
 | Mother Iveys Bay. A picturesque and pleasant sandy beach. Unfortunately there are no facilities and no parking. |
 | Newquay. Four beaches together forming a huge expanse of sand at low tide. Ideal for sun worshippers, families and surfers and there are excellent facilities. Newquay Details |
 | Northcott Mouth. A large pebble beach with a large expanse of sand at low tide. Plenty of rock pools, but there are no toilets. Dogs allowed all year. Northcott Mouth Details |
 | Padstow. A picturesque harbour town on the western banks of the Camel Estuary. To the north of the town and accessible by the coast path is a super stretch of sand from St Georges Cove to Hawkers Cove. Padstow Details |
 | Perranporth. Large seaside town with a huge sandy beach. There are all the expected facilities. Sloped access to the beach. Dogs allowed all year. Perranporth Details |
 | Polzeath. A super family beach with a large expanse of sand and excellent surfing. Level access to the beach. Dogs banned in summer. Polzeath Details |
 | Port Gaverne. A sheltered narrow cove with plenty of sand at low tide. Popular with families. Port Gaverne Details |
 | Porth. A large sandy beach on the outskirts of Newquay with all the expected facilities. Porth Details |
 | Porthcothan. Pleasant family beach with plenty of sand at low tide. Also some sand dunes. Access to the beach is level. Dogs allowed all year. Porthcothan Details |
 | Porth Joke. Pleasant cove, popular in summer. Parking some distance from the beach. Porth Joke Details |
 | Porthtowan. A spacious sandy beach popular with surfers and families. All facilities are nearby and there is level access to the beach. Dogs banned in the summer. Porthtowan Details |
 | Portreath. A small port with a pleasant wide sand beach to the west of the harbour. Steps to the beach. Dogs banned in summer.Portreath Details |
 | Rock. A long sandy beach on the east side of the Camel Estuary, at low tide stretching to Daymer Bay. Dogs allowed all year. |
 | Sandy Mouth. A large pebble beach with plenty of sand at low tide. Dogs allowed all year. Sandy Mouth Details |
 | Stanbury Mouth. A large pebble beach with a large amount of sand at low tide, but there are no facilities and there is a steep climb down to the beach. Stanbury Mouth Details |
 | The Strangles. A large sand/shingle beach with plenty of sand at low tide. The beach is quiet even in the summer due to a difficult climb down to the beach. There are no facilities. |
 | Trebarwith Strand. A long stretch of sandy beach which is popular with families and surfers. Access to the beach is not suitable for pushchairs or wheel chairs. Dogs allowed all year.
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 | Trevaunance Cove. A sandy cove popular with surfers. Plenty of facilities but parking is limited. Access to the beach is via the road, but note this is fairly steep. Dogs allowed all year. |
 | Trevone Bay. Pleasant sandy bay popular with families. Access via slopes and steps. Dogs banned in summer. |
 | Treyarnon Bay. An excellent family beach with lots of sand and rock pools. There is a slip way to the beach. Dogs allowed all year. |
 | Watergate Bay. An excellent mile long beach with good surfing and also plenty of sand for families. Slope and steps access to the beach. Dogs allowed all year. Watergate Bay Details |
 | Widemouth Bay. A large sandy beach with good surfing and parking/facilities close to the beach. Level access to the beach. Dogs banned in summer. Widemouth Bay Details |
West Cornwall is the most remote part of Cornwall but is well worth a visit for some spectacular coastal scenery and many attractive seaside towns and villages. With a multitude of hotels, villas, activities and holidays in Cornwall available, Cornwall is a great place to visit all year round.
There are excellent beaches too, with miles of sand at Mounts Bay in the South and Hayle Sands on the North Coast. There are also a number of secluded sandy coves such as Porthcurno and Lamorna Cove. For surfers there are excellent surfing beaches at Sennen Cove and Hayle. The scenery is outstanding with excellent walking around Lands End, Godrevy and Prussia Cove. The region is best approached on the A30 trunk road, which leads all the way through Cornwall right down to Lands End. Note that the A30 can get quite congested at the height of the summer. |
 | Bessys Cove. A picturesque cove which is mainly rocky but has small patches of white sand. No facilities. Steps to the beach. Dogs allowed all year. |
 | Cape Cornwall. Small cove with a pebble beach and a small tidal pool. Slipway to the beach. Dogs allowed all year
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 | Carbis Bay. A large sheltered beach with perfect white sand. Facilities are close to the beach. Dogs banned in summer. |
 | Godrevy. A sandy beach stretching along the Godrevy coastline. Great views and good walking around Godrevy Point. Dogs banned in summer. Godrevy Details |
 | Gwithian Towans. A huge sandy beach popular with surfers and for families there is plenty of sand. Dogs banned in summer. |
 | Hayle. A large sandy beach popular with surfers. Dogs banned in summer on most parts of the beach. Hayle Details |