Porthminster has palm trees, white sands & translucent waters. It is so easy to believe that you're somewhere tropical on a summers day here. If you fancy a bite to eat, Porthminster is home to Porthminster Beach Cafe, one of the most famous award winning beach restaurants in the UK. If you don't fancy getting out of your swimmers though, there are two takeaways to choose from & if the weather permits, an outdoor bbq will be running. They have plenty of toilets & even have TWO beach shops in case you forget your bucket & spade!
Things to do: There is so much to do on this beach from hiring a deck chair, to playing mini golf. If you fancied trying your hand at a water sport, there are paddle boards, surfboards & kayaks to hire from St Ives Water Sports. During the summer holidays there is usually beach volleyball & tug of war games ongoing throughout the day.
Recommends:
Parking is difficult to find in summer but I'd recommend parking in the vast car park at Lelant Saltings & enjoy the stunning scenic ten minute train ride into St. Ives. The train station is situated right next to the beach so you don't need to walk very far when you arrive.
A truly magical location. This remote beach is etched between stunning cliffs & it's white sands & translucent waters make you feel like you're abroad. This beach has a car park a short walk away, toilets & a little cafe. But don't forget your bucket & spade as there aren't many shops nearby!
Things to do: A great beach for simply relaxing on. There is a stream that runs through the beach that is ideal for younger children to paddle in. Right next to the beach is the world-famous 'Minack Theatre' & also the Porthcurno Telegraph Museum. Both are must visits while you're here.
Recommends:
Looking around the 'Minack Theatre', the phenomenal outdoor theatre that is etched out of the cliff top. I would really recommend booking tickets to watch one of their family friendly open-air performances. Don't forget your blankets & picnic though! It'll be a night you will never forget.
Gyllyngvase beach, or 'Gylly' to the locals, is a ten minute walk from the centre of Falmouth & a five minute walk from Falmouth Town train station. With Blue Flag status, this family friendly beach is also home to the award winning Gylly Beach Cafe. It also has a take-away & beach shop, public toilets & a large car park right next to the beach.
Things to do: Gylly beach is a great place to try your hand at paddle boarding & is home to WeSUP, Cornwalls first ever paddle boarding centre. The friendly instructors do group lessons or you can hire individual board & wetsuits at your leisure.
Recommends: If you tire of all the beach activities, both Pendennis Castle & The Maritime Museum are only a ten minute walk away. Tennis courts are also situated right next to the beach for those who fancy trying out as the next Andy Murray.
4. PORTHOWAN BEACH - Porthtowan
Surrounded by vast & impressive cliffs, this sandy beach stretches out to 1.5 miles at low tide. A frequent winner of the Blue flag award & located in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this beach is a must see. With a beach shop, surf shop, toilets & a car park right next to the beach, it's an easy choice for families to visit.Things to do: There is a children's play park situated at the top of the beach, ample amounts of sand to play on & watersports hire if you fancied a try at something new. As a popular surfing beach why not try out Porthtowan Surf School while you're here? During low tide you can also walk to the neighbouring beach of Chapel Porth or if you tire of the sand, the beach backs onto the small town of Porthtowan where you can browse the beautiful local shops.
Recommends:
Visiting the Blue-Bar beach side cafe, one of the best beach bars in Cornwall.
The beach even has it's own website: Porthtowan Beach
5. GWITHIAN TOWANS - Hayle
Surrounded by wild grass, sand dunes & situated at the end of three miles of golden sands, Gwithian is certainly a stunning beach to visit. With a constant swell coming in from the Atlantic, this beach attracts a lot of surfers. With public toilets situated on the cliff by the lifeguard hut, a large car park & two cafes to choose from including Sunset Surf, this beach is great for families. The only negative is the steps down to the beach. Although wide enough for prams, I would recommend going buggy free unless you have a helping hand.
Things to do: A great beach for sports enthusiasts. Great surfing conditions makes this the perfect beach to try your hand at surfing or windsurfing. The beach is also home to kite buggying & has plenty of rock pools & caves to explore. For younger children, this is the perfect beach for kite flying!
Recommends:
Visiting the adorable looking Jam Pot cafe, an old 19th century coastguard look out. Here you can enjoy home cooked snacks & take a break in their slightly more sheltered picnic area.
All of these beaches are lifeguarded between May & September!
Find out what everyone else thinks! Check out the other Cornish Bloggers' posts below:
Holly @ Full of Beans & Sausages: 'My Top 5 Beaches in Cornwall'
Anna @ The Cornish Life: '5 Best Beaches in Cornwall'
Jess @ Jessica Cece: 'Life's a Beach'
Alice @ Wooden Windowsills: '5 Cornish Beaches You Should Visit This Summer'
Sam @ Strawberry Squeeze: 'Top Running Beaches in Cornwall'
Liv @ Maiden in Cornwall: 'My 5 Favourite Cornish Beaches'
Abel @ Brainfood: 'Top 10 Beaches for Summer 2015'
Anna @ The Cornish Life: '5 Best Beaches in Cornwall'
Jess @ Jessica Cece: 'Life's a Beach'
Alice @ Wooden Windowsills: '5 Cornish Beaches You Should Visit This Summer'
Sam @ Strawberry Squeeze: 'Top Running Beaches in Cornwall'
Liv @ Maiden in Cornwall: 'My 5 Favourite Cornish Beaches'
Abel @ Brainfood: 'Top 10 Beaches for Summer 2015'
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Wowzas - ALL of those beaches are stunning. We visited Cornwall a lot as a child and the beaches and little coves really are unique #thelist
ReplyDeleteThere are so many to explore. you should bring your children down one day. We feel so lucky they're so close to us. It's a great place to take our little one & just let her run free. x
DeleteI'm so glad you've compiled this list. I love Cornwall and have been so many times and not been to any of your top five. So now I have to make this my mission when we next return! I wish I was there now! #TheList
ReplyDeleteThank you! :-D Honestly they're all equally stunning. But you must visit St. Ives if you've never been before for sure. :-) This is one out of 4 beaches in St. Ives & it's only a small beautiful town. x
DeleteYay! Your list is great :D we have 2 or 3 of the same ones hehe. I really need to check out Porthminster and Porthcurno though - I love your recommendations for all of them :) xx
ReplyDeletehttp://thecornishlife.co.uk
Thank you so much! Thank you for hosting this too! Both of those two beaches look like somewhere abroad, they're really beautiful. I'm glad we all had a bit of variety but so many similar too. There were lots of places posted that i need to explore too! :-D x
DeleteSuch a lovely post! Love the 'recommends' bit... it always sways me to visit somewhere when there's insider knowledge up for grabs! :p and hooray for the shout-out to WeSup! They're all such nice friendly people!
ReplyDeleteAbel x
Thank you! They were so kind & let me use one of their pictures. I need to go up & try them out that's for sure. It's surprising how much is available on each beach. xx
DeleteI love how you've laid yours out! Also really nice idea to do it from a family perspective! A few of mine are definitely not buggy friendly! So many beautiful Cornish beaches, it's been so much fun reading through them all! Alice xxx
ReplyDeletewww.woodenwindowsills.co.uk
Thank you so much! I love how much variety has been posted There are some new ones i've never visited that I'm definitely going to seek out this summer. :-) x
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ReplyDeleteSo many lovely beaches here, I live here too and haven't visited any of your favourites yet. Plenty to choose from and helpful tips! #TriedTested
ReplyDeleteOh you really need to! There are so many in Cornwall I've never been too as well. I'm thinking of exploring a few more in summer. We do live in such a BEAUTIFUL county. :-) xx
DeleteThanks so much for this! I'm desperate to visit Cornwall, so will bookmark this post #triedtested
ReplyDeleteThat's ok. Thank you for bookmarking. Most of these are in West Cornwall (near the bottom). I would fully recommend my home town of St. Ives. It is so stunning I feel so grateful everyday to be here. x
DeleteOh wow! Those beaches are stunning! They look almost tropical! What a great list x
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! My pictures actually really don't do the beaches justice either. We do feel like we live somewhere abroad on a hot day. Cornwall is well worth a visit if you've never been. :-) x
DeleteSuch a handy list! We go to Cornwall a few times each year so we're always looking for new places to visit, I'll bookmark this! Our favourite beach find so far has been Lusty Glaze, difficult to get down to but so worth it! x
ReplyDeleteLusty glaze is beautiful. These ones are all a bit further down, right near the bottom of Cornwall. But so worth that extra journey. I live in St. Ives (the no.1. beach is here) & I would fully recommend it to anyone visiting. Such a stunning, beautiful town, with four beaches to choose from. :-) xx
DeleteWow! Some truely stunning photo's and beaches off course! Cornwall is on my bucket list of places to visit whilst the kids are young, having never been before I will keep this list pinned ready for when we do get to visit! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up to #ToddlerApprovedTuesday. We also have a pinboard and facebook page you can join and post to, just tweet us if you would like adding!
Thank you! It is really worth visiting, I might be biased because I live here, but it's beautifully stunning for adults & fun for little ones :-) x
DeleteJust back from Cornwall and we had such a lovely time visiting beaches even on a short trip - including Gyllyngvase so I feel very smug! #triedtested
ReplyDeleteHaha I bet you do! I'm glad you had a lovely time. Falmouth is really beautiful. If I didn't live down here I think I'd have to come on holiday all the time! :-D xx
DeleteThis is so helpful, we're off to Cornwall in August and I don't know the area at all (what with it being basically in France compared to where we live!!) - bookmarked :) Thanks for linking up to #TheList xx
ReplyDeleteI would 100% recommend googling & visiting St. Ives. I might be biased because it's my home town but it's such a beautiful town, with four beaches. The views are incredible, I feel so lucky to live here all the time. xx
DeleteI love Cornwall, such a beautiful place to visit.
ReplyDeleteWe'd really like you to join the #toddlerapprovedtuesday Facebook group so you can add your own posts each week too.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1603157459926512/
Thanks so much for linking up to #toddlerapprovedtuesday this week x
I'm going to have to pin this as I definitely want to take my kids to Cornwall - really helpful knowing where the best family beaches are when I plan a trip.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore living down here. I grew up here & always said I'd move back when I had children because it's so family friendly. It is really worth a trip with your little ones. There is so much to do for all the family :-D And it's beautiful enough for the adults to think they're somewhere exotic, without the flights or price tag xx
DeleteThey look utterly stunning. Why would you ever go abroad with a beach like that at home! I've never been to Cornwall before but it's on my list.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with #TriedTested this week x
Honestly, these pictures don't do half of the beaches justice at all. I feel so lucky everyday to live here. You must visit one day. On a really hot day you do feel like your somewhere exotic. Well worth a visit :-D xx
DeleteSuch a lovely place to live - you're very lucky. I've been to a few of these beaches on various holidays. I think Porthcurno is stunning but Gwithian will always have a piece of my heart. x
ReplyDeleteKelly
http://twoboymummy.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you so much. If I didn't live here i'd definitely come on holiday all the time! It must be nice to come down here for a break. There are some stunning beaches x
DeleteSuch stunning beaches in Cornwall. This post makes me want to move there :)
ReplyDeleteOur Seaside Baby
So stunning. It's such an amazing place to grow up in & then raise your little one in. It's so nice to just let them run freely on the beach :-D x
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