01872 487275
0 Favourites

Looking at stays in...

(2-12 yrs only)
(0-1 yrs only)

Beach Guide

Posted by Select Cornwall

on 06/02/2026

Cornwall Beaches Guide | Map, Filters, Regions, Surf, Dogs & Blue Flag

Cornwall Beaches Guide

Pinch-zoom map • filters • regions • surf • dogs • awards

Blue Flag Surf Dogs Map Beaches by area

Over 150 beaches. One simple guide.

Cornwall has a coastline of over 250 miles with everything from huge Atlantic sands to tiny hidden coves. This guide brings it together with a mobile-friendly map, quick filters, and region lists.

Blue Flag beaches in Cornwall (2026)

Blue Flag is an international award run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), based on criteria including water quality, environmental management, information, and safety/services.

2026 Blue Flag list (10)

PolzeathNorth Cornwall PorthmeorWest Cornwall PorthminsterWest Cornwall Carbis BayWest Cornwall GyllyngvaseLizard & Falmouth Widemouth BayNorth Cornwall PorthtowanNorth Cornish Coast CrookletsNorth Cornwall SummerleazeNorth Cornwall Trevone BayNorth Cornish Coast
Note: We’ll add “award icons” above each beach title once you provide your final badge/logo set.

Award notes (from your text)

The award covers more than water quality (facilities, disabled access, lifeguards, toilets, etc.). Your original text suggests it’s helpful but not the only measure — Cornwall has many equally clean beaches.

Environmental standards Safety & services Facilities considered
Optional add: Beach webcams module (we can wire this later if you have the source URLs).

Cornwall Top 10 surfing beaches

Cornwall’s Atlantic exposure makes it the UK’s surf capital. In theory you can surf many beaches, but the most consistent and accessible are usually the main beach breaks. (We’ll later add a “Surf report” icon + external links per beach.)

Top spots (from your text)

FistralNewquay GwithianHayle PerranporthPerranporth PolzeathPadstow area PorthmeorSt Ives PorthtowanNorth coast Praa SandsHelston SennenLand’s End area

Live forecasts: we’ll add external links (e.g., “Surf report”, “Swell period”, etc.) as buttons per beach — like your screenshot example.

Cornwall dog friendly beaches

Your text: 150 beaches allow dogs, 73 have restrictions, and 5 have outright bans. Seasonal restrictions vary and signage matters. (We’ll show this with icons + a filter in the modern system.)

At-a-glance

Dogs allowed (generally) Dogs restricted (often seasonal) Dogs banned (few beaches)
Note: You said the council source was updated June 2020 and doesn’t apply to guide dogs. We’ll keep this as a “policy note” on the page.

Popular dog friendly beaches (from your text)

Gimble PorthDogs allowed RuseyDogs allowed
You also wrote: “The images, add as text in here” — I’ll place your image captions here when you paste them.

Dog rules lists (we’ll convert these into filters + per-beach badges)

You pasted full “allowed” and “restricted” lists. I’ve stored them conceptually for tagging. In the master build, each beach card will carry one of: Allowed / Restricted / Banned (plus “lead required” where applicable).

Interactive Cornwall map

Pinch to zoom • tap pins • use filters (filters expand as Parts 2–7 arrive)
Pins will look crowded until you zoom in (mobile-first).

Beach pages

Next: as you paste Parts 2–7, I’ll generate the full set of beach cards (<article id="...">), and add each one to the map pins + filters + region directory.

Beaches by area

Simple region lists (fast to scan). Tap a name to jump to the beach section.

West Cornwall beaches

Bamaluz Battery Rocks Carbis Bay Clodgy Point Cot Valley Eastern Green Gwenver Lamorna Cove Longrock Marazion Mousehole Nanjizal Pedn Vounder Penberth Cove Penzance Promenade Perranuthnoe Porthchapel Porthcurno Porthgwarra Porthgwidden Porthkidney Porthmeor Porthminster Praa Sands Prussia Cove Sennen Cove St Ives Harbour
West Cornwall region intro text will be added under this heading once all Parts are pasted.

North Cornwall beaches

Benoath Cove Bossiney Cove Breakwater Crackington Haven Crooklets Daymer Bay Duckpool Lundy Bay Millook Haven Northcott Mouth Polzeath Port Gaverne Port Isaac Port Quin Rusey Sandymouth Stanbury Mouth Summerleaze The Strangles Tintagel Trebarwith Strand Tregardock Welcombe Mouth Widemouth Bay

The Lizard & Falmouth beaches

Bosahan Cove Cadgwith Cove Castle Beach Church Cove Coverack Dollar Cove Durgan Grebe Gunwalloe Gyllyngvase Helford Passage Housel Bay Kennack Sands
This list will expand to the full 44 once you paste the rest of the Lizard section.
As Parts 2–7 arrive, I’ll add the remaining region headings (North Coast, Cornish Riviera, St Austell area, South East Cornwall, etc.) exactly like your screenshots.
Cornwall Beaches Guide | Map, Areas, Surf, Dogs & Awards

Cornwall Beaches Guide

Modern map • pins • filters • then simple “beaches by area” lists

Map Filters Beaches by area Beach pages (examples)

One page that does everything

Top section = our modern interactive map + pins + filters. Below that = the simple “beaches by area” directory like your screenshots (fast to scan). Individual beach pages can use the same design.

Quick filters (icons)

This is where your icon filter system plugs in (Sandy / Surfing / Toilets / Lifeguards / Dogs etc.). We’ll tag each beach in the data and the filters will show/hide pins + beach cards.

Sandy Pebble Rocky Dogs allowed Seasonal dog ban Surfing Toilets Parking Lifeguard
Your full icon set can be dropped into this page later without changing the rest.

Interactive Cornwall map

Pinch to zoom • tap pins • pins link to beach IDs
Only beaches with coordinates will show pins (coords can be added later).

Beaches by area

Simple lists under headings (like your screenshots). These links jump to beach pages/cards by ID.

West Cornwall beaches

Carbis Bay Gwenver Porthmeor Porthminster Praa Sands Sennen Cove Pedn Vounder Lamorna Cove Mousehole Marazion Porthcurno Porthgwidden

North Cornwall beaches

Polzeath Widemouth Bay Crooklets Summerleaze Daymer Bay Duckpool Sandymouth Port Isaac Crackington Haven Tintagel Trebarwith Strand Northcott Mouth

The Lizard & Falmouth beaches

Kynance Cove Poldhu Cove Polurrian Cove Mullion Cove Maenporth Swanpool Gyllyngvase Loe Beach Loe Bar Pentreath Porthallow Porthleven Porthcurnick Portscatho St Anthony in Meneage Sunny Cove Lankidden Cove Leggan Cove Men-aver Polgwidden Cove Polnare Cove Polpeor Cove Ponsence Cove Porth Sawsen Porthallack Porthkerris Porthoustock Rinsey Cove

Helston to Falmouth (region summary)

This coast mixes sheltered fishing coves with bigger sandy bays. Kynance, Poldhu and Church Cove are popular and accessible, while Housel Bay and Polurrian feel more “escape the crowds” (walk-in). Heading toward town, Maenporth → Swanpool → Gyllyngvase gives you a strong run of beaches close to Falmouth.

The Cornish Riviera beaches (St Austell & area)

Carlyon Bay Par Sands Pentewan Porthpean Polkerris Polstreath Portmellon Charlestown Duporth Gorran Haven Carne Pendower Hemmick Portholland Porthluney Cove Vault

Around St Austell (region summary)

Sheltered south-coast coves with calmer water, plus long runs of sand at Carlyon Bay and Par Sands. Smaller villages like Polkerris and Portloe give access to hidden shingle/sand coves, while Charlestown adds harbour history and sea views.

South East Cornwall beaches

Cawsand Bay Downderry Kingsand Lantic Bay Polperro Portwrinkle Seaton Whitsand Bay Freathy Sharrow Talland Bay Looe Beach Millendreath Plaidy Polridmouth Ready Money Cove Hannafore Lansallos Cove Lantivet Bay

Fowey to Plymouth (region summary)

A sheltered stretch with photogenic villages (Polperro, Looe, Kingsand/Cawsand) plus big, dramatic sands at Whitsand Bay. Lantic can look Mediterranean on the right day; Whitsand gives you miles of walking when the tide is out.

Isles of Scilly beaches

Appletree Bay Castle Porth Cove Vean Farm Beach Gimble Porth Great Bay Great Par Green Bay Higher Town Bay Lower Town Beach Old Town Bay Pelistry Bay Pentle Bay Porthcressa Rushy Bay Samson The Bar Town Beach

The Isles of Scilly (summary)

Five inhabited islands with calm, clear water and white sands. St Mary’s is easiest to reach, but island-hopping often delivers the best beaches — especially Tresco and St Martin’s — with Bryher and St Agnes adding rugged, wilder shoreline.

Beach pages (example layout)

Below are two full “beach pages” (Carbis Bay + Gwenver) using your breadcrumb/tab layout and key facts. You can keep them inside this master file, or copy each section into its own URL page.

Carbis Bay

Beach info Maps Weather & tides Surfing 360° view

Just outside St Ives, Carbis Bay is a wide sandy beach with excellent facilities, making it a strong pick for families. Its tree-lined cliffs help shelter the bay from wind and chop, so it often feels calmer than more exposed north-coast beaches.

Historically the bay was known by several names and used by local fishing boats. Despite the sheltered feel, shipwrecks have occurred here — and at very low tides you may spot remnants offshore. Surf is uncommon, but with a big northerly swell you can get punchy, wedgy waves near high tide, which is why bodyboarders love it when it does switch on.

Also known as

Barrepta Cove

Type of beach

Sandy

Lifeguards

RNLI daily (summer dates)

Dogs

Seasonal dog ban (check signage)

Disabled access

Yes (details to confirm)

Postcode

TR26 2NW

OS Grid Ref

SW 5287 3894

Facilities

Beach shop • café • toilets • first aid

Parking

Beachfront car park

Open map Weather Tide times Surf report Find accommodation
Live data note: you said “pull live tide times / sea temp / weather / surf in buttons” — this page is already wired to do that via search links. If you have preferred providers (Met Office / Surfline / MSW), we can swap the URLs.

Gwenver Beach

Beach info Maps Weather & tides Surfing 360° view

Gwenver sits below a grassy cliff near Land’s End and feels just secluded enough to dodge the worst crowds. It’s sandy, compact, and can link up with Sennen at low tide — but it steepens quickly at high tide, which can make the sea feel powerful.

On clear days you can pick out the Scilly Isles on the horizon and the Brisons rocks offshore. In season, Gwenver can deliver strong surf and fast moving water, so treat it with respect — especially around larger swell and higher tides.

Also known as

Gwynver

Type of beach

Sandy

Lifeguards

Summer service (check dates)

Dogs

Allowed all year

Postcode

TR19 6JB

OS Grid Ref

SW 3612 2802

Parking

Cliff-top car park (seasonal)

Access

10–15 min walk down (and back up)

Nearest town

Penzance

Open map Weather Tide times Surf report Find accommodation
Reviews/ratings: if you want, we can add an optional reviews block + aggregate schema later — but only if you’re actually displaying reviews onsite.
Cornwall Beaches Guide | Map, Areas, Surf, Dogs & Awards

Cornwall Beaches Guide

Modern map • pins • filters • then simple “beaches by area” lists

Map Filters Beaches by area Beach pages

One page that does everything

Top section = modern interactive map + pins + filters. Below that = the simple “beaches by area” directory (like your screenshots). Beach pages use the same clean layout.

Quick filters (icons)

Drop your “fancy icons” filter system in here. Tags in the dataset can drive pins + cards.

Sandy Shingle Rock pools Dogs allowed Seasonal dog ban No dogs Surfing Toilets Parking Lifeguard Video Webcam
You can add/remove tags without changing the page layout.

Interactive Cornwall map

Pinch to zoom • tap pins • pins link to beach sections
Only beaches with coordinates will show pins (add lat/lng later).

Beaches by area

Simple lists under headings (like your screenshots). These links jump to beach sections by ID.

West Cornwall beaches

Carbis Bay Gwenver Mousehole Pedn Vounder Penzance Promenade Porthchapel Portheras Cove Porthgwidden Porthmeor Porthminster Porthcurno Longrock

North Cornwall beaches

Polzeath Widemouth Bay Crooklets Summerleaze Daymer Bay Duckpool Sandymouth Port Isaac Crackington Haven Tintagel Trebarwith Strand Northcott Mouth

The Lizard & Falmouth beaches

Kynance Cove Poldhu Cove Polurrian Cove Mullion Cove Maenporth Swanpool Gyllyngvase Loe Beach Loe Bar Porthleven Portscatho

The Cornish Riviera beaches (St Austell & area)

Carlyon Bay Par Sands Pentewan Porthpean Polkerris Polstreath Portmellon Charlestown Duporth Gorran Haven Carne Pendower Hemmick Portholland Porthluney Cove Vault

South East Cornwall beaches

Cawsand Bay Downderry Kingsand Lantic Bay Polperro Portwrinkle Seaton Whitsand Bay

Isles of Scilly beaches

Appletree Bay Great Bay Great Par Green Bay Pelistry Bay Pentle Bay Porthcressa Rushy Bay The Bar Town Beach

Beach pages

Part 3 added more full beach pages — I’ve converted them into the same tabbed layout. Images are left as placeholders so you can drop them in later.

Carbis Bay

Beach info Maps Weather & tides Surfing 360° view

Just outside St Ives, Carbis Bay is a wide sandy beach with excellent facilities, making it a strong pick for families. Its tree-lined cliffs help shelter the bay from wind and chop, so it often feels calmer than more exposed north-coast beaches.

Surf is uncommon, but with a big northerly swell you can get punchy, wedgy waves near high tide. It’s also convenient to reach, with its own station on the St Ives branch line.

Also known as

Barrepta Cove

Type of beach

Sandy

Lifeguards

RNLI (summer dates)

Dogs

Seasonal dog ban (check signage)

Postcode

TR26 2NW

OS Grid Ref

SW 5287 3894

Facilities

Shop • café • toilets • first aid

Parking

Beachfront car park

Nearest town

St Ives

Open map Weather Tide times Surf report Find accommodation
Post categories
Cornwall Events 2026

Comment archive

Subscribe to blog

Select subscription categories:

Archive