on 28/02/2023
The weather is starting to turn summery. And in Cornwall, a place famed for having two seasons instead of four, that can only mean one thing: The people are coming, and they're coming to the beach.
But which beach?
Great question. Cornwall actually has over 300 sandy tanning locations all over its quirky coastlines but not all of them are worth the visit. In the interest of honesty - it's true that most of the 300 ARE beautiful it's just that some are particularly so. Moroever, here is our Select Cornwall guide to visiting the best beaches in Cornwall this spring and summer.
We're going to get nepotism out of the way first. Gwithian may or may not be our favourite hands down. But oddly not just for the beach - it has an amalgamation of features that make it one of the best places in Cornwall for a short stroll, a coffee to-go and a view.
Firstly, it is a somewhat popular surf spot but it isn't the MOST popular surf spot. So you can enjoy the option of activities without the views being overwhelmed by a bustling mass of dudes and dudettes.
Secondly, it's got a lovely cafe which serves wonderful food and coffee which is an important factor when trying to find Cornwall's best beach.
Thirdly, you can very easily access the gorgeous cliff tops overlooking the beach to give yourself a two-part walking experience unlike most others. The cliff top takes 5 minutes to walk to from the upper car park and is always very quiet. Almost untouched- the mounding, sculpted grassland is hard to explain unless you've seen it, especially since it comes to an overhang some 40-or-so feet above the beach.
It's our favourite place in Cornwall to sit and think. The sound of the waves washing over you, the sun on your face, watching the little surfers pirouette on the infinite blue is unforgettably magical.
Now for some less personal and romantic descriptions- Kynance Cove is quite widely considered one of the top 2 or 3 beaches in Cornwall. Unlike Gwithian and some of the other's on this list, it's not really a surf spot as a result of it's remoteness, size and South Coast location.
Although this garners some points for a would-be quietness, the beach is located on one of Cornwall's busiest walking routes. Lizard Point to Kynance Cove is the uk mainland's most southern hike. It is also one of the most beautiful. In this, we recommend choosing this location if you fancy a walk and a different one if you're in the mood for peace and quiet.
The cove's inclusion on this list is very much down to it's uniqueness and aesthetics. Splitting 'Game of Thrones' style rock formations, the beach looks like a pool of blue gold sitting in the jaws of a roaring dragon. It's wonderful, unique and just rocky enough for it to be charming more than it is impractical.
Fistral Beach is the rock star of the Cornish beach world. Globally famed for it's surfing properties and swarmed by surfers every year - this is THE PLACE to meet dudes and dudettes.
It also hosts Boardmasters every August, which is Europe's largest surfing and skating festival, which only furthers the notion that this is where cool dudes hang out. Perhaps a pick for the youngsters in this way, this bustling nature and less characterful aesthetics make it less of a stroll space for those searching for peace and quiet.
HOWEVER, it is still very much beautiful. You can never go wrong with white sand and an infinite ocean view - we just prefer a side of unique rock formations with our beaches.
The location also helps it into our rankings - with few places in Cornwall having quite as much going on as Newquay does year-round.
Perrranporth beach has the best sunsets in Cornwall and we don't know why. Check out the Instagram of the Watering Hole (the pub in the middle of the beach) for proof. For some reason the skies turn bright red at perranporth whenever they turn orange everywhere else. The sunsets seem to last for two hours, and the way they reflect off the water genuinely looks like CGI from Avatar 1.
Outside of the baffling achievement of having nicer skies than the rest of Cornwall, Perranporth also has a charismatic pub in the middle of the sand and a lovely surrounding village that begins just yards from the beach. Again, this is one of the more busy options, but considering this is a list of the best beaches in Cornwall, it is a somewhat expected fate.
Overall, we rate it a 4 out of 5 in the day and an 11 out of 5 at night.
Porthcurno kind of has everything. Great surfing, characterful features, a beach that a Targaryen would look at home on and, of course, just enough weird rocky bits can all be found there.
The beach neighbours the Minack Theatre, which is one of Cornwall's most memorable attractions. It's a roman amphitheatre style performance space, often headlined by famous comedians, artists, bands and writers. The theatre is also full of gorgeous plant life that you can pop in to see on your way to the beach.
This is more of a spoken word poet than a rock star, but if Fistral is a bit too hot, we think Porthcurno would be just right.
And that's our list of the Top 5 Most Beautiful Beaches in Cornwall for 2023. Check out the rest of our blogs for more tips and for detailed guides on where to stay when you visit here !
