Trewena

Beaches in Cornwall.

Cornwall has more than 300 beaches across 400 miles of coastline. The choice can be overwhelming. Some are sandy and sheltered, ideal for a swim and a coffee; others are dramatic, wild, and best at low tide; a few you'll need to scramble to reach. From Trewena, you can be at one of Falmouth's town beaches in ten minutes, on the Lizard Peninsula in thirty, or up on the wilder north coast in under an hour. The posts below cover the named beaches we know best, plus our pick of the hidden ones worth the drive.

Pinned

Worth a look first.

Pedn Vounder beach near Porthcurno, with golden sand reaching into turquoise water and Logan Rock rising in the distance.

Cornwall's Hidden Beaches and Coves: Secluded Coastal Gems

Beyond Cornwall's famous beaches lie quiet coves and tucked-away sands you'll mostly have to yourself. Seven of the best, plus how to find them.

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Church Cove at Gunwalloe on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula, with the 14th-century Church of St Winwallow built right onto the edge of the beach, an ancient graveyard with weathered Celtic crosses, and a wide sandy beach with families on it leading off to the right.

Dollar Cove and Church Cove at Gunwalloe: A Visitor's Guide to the Lizard's Twin Beaches

A visitor's guide to Dollar Cove and Church Cove at Gunwalloe on the Lizard Peninsula: twin beaches sharing one car park, a 14th-century clifftop church and the legend of the Spanish silver-dollar wreck.
Kynance Cove on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula on a clear summer day, with turquoise water, dramatic dark serpentine sea stacks rising from the bay, white sand visible at low tide, the small whitewashed Kynance Beach Cafe by the steps, and visitors on the path down to the cove.

Kynance Cove: A Visitor's Guide to Cornwall's Most Photographed Beach

A visitor's guide to Kynance Cove on the Lizard Peninsula: the turquoise water, the serpentine sea stacks, the National Trust car park, the cliff path, when to visit and how to make a half-day of it.
Maenporth Beach on a calm sunny day, a wide arc of golden sand backed by rocky outcrops, with low headlands either side and clear blue sky.

Maenporth Beach, Falmouth: A Local's Guide

Maenporth is the wide sandy beach at the end of a wooded valley, a 10-minute drive from Falmouth. Family-friendly, sheltered, and home to The Cove restaurant and a beach cafe.
Sunrise over Falmouth Bay seen from above Castle Beach, with two swimmers in the calm water and the path along the wall in the foreground.

Castle Beach, Falmouth

Tucked under the western end of Falmouth Bay in the shelter of Pendennis Point, Castle Beach is the quiet rock-pooling cousin of Gylly. Wall to lean against, rocks to perch on, a cafe up top.
Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth at low tide on a sunny day, a wide arc of golden sand and dark rocky outcrops, walkers and swimmers along the shoreline, and Pendennis Castle on its headland in the distance.

Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth: A Local's Guide

Gyllyngvase, or Gylly to locals, is Falmouth's main beach. Award-winning Blue Flag sand, RNLI lifeguards in summer, sub-tropical Queen Mary Gardens behind, and a 10-minute walk from town.
A small sandy cove on Falmouth's south coast on a clear winter day, with calm water curving round to a headland in the distance, low cliff and vegetation on the left, and rocks in the foreground.

Swanpool Beach, Falmouth: A Local's Guide

Swanpool is the small soft-sand cove between Gyllyngvase and Maenporth, with a freshwater lake nature reserve directly across the road. Sheltered swimming, beach cafe, water-sports hire, and one of Falmouth's most family-friendly beaches.
A view across Falmouth Bay from one of the town’s sandy beaches on a clear summer’s day

The 12 Best Beaches Near Falmouth, Cornwall

Twelve of the best beaches within a ten-mile radius of Falmouth, Cornwall, from town favourites like Gyllyngvase to wild Lizard sands and Roseland golden coves. A local’s guide for guests at Trewena Cottages.

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