5 Cornish beaches you should visit this summer

When the lovely Anna at The Cornish Life invited me to join in with a link up post I was really pleased – I’m still feeling a bit like the new girl at school who is trying to make friends in the vast blogging world. When I found out that the link up was for our top 5 Cornish beaches I was even more than pleased. I love the beach, I love Cornwall, and I love writing blogs – win win for me!

Choosing a top 5 was probably the hardest bit! I also didn’t have a huge number of blogworthy photos, so with a little photography help from one of my favourite people, Sally, I have put together a range of different sorts of beaches, all of which I would visit time and time again, and all of which have sentimental value to me.

# 1 – Sennen

Sennen has to be my number one – it is my favourite place in the whole world. As children, every single year we used to head down to the furthest tip of the UK and holiday for a week in the most beautiful black wooden hut. It’s only available to friends and family of the owners, but I have so many beautiful memories of the huge sandy beach, watching dolphins at sunset and sitting on “our rock”. When my Mum became a teacher, we could no longer take a week in September, so we stopped going. Ten years passed when I found the address of the owner and wrote a letter, explaining who I was and the fantastic memories I had from years of childhood holidays in their beautiful hut. When I had a reply saying I could of course rent it out again for a long weekend, I cried. It has no TV, no shower, barely any electricity, it’s the perfect getaway from the crazy bustle of everyday life. It was exactly as I remembered – nothing had changed which is the beauty of it. So much so that just the smell of it when we first walked in evoked so many happy memories it brought tears to mine and Harry’s eyes. My first blog was also aptly named Wooden Walls, Floors, and Window Sills after this magical place – I decided woodenwallsfloorsandwindowsills.co.uk was a bit of a mouthful so shortened it for this blog! As for Sennen Cove itself, the beach is sadly a bit more touristy in the summer, but if you head away from the town further down the beach it gets quieter. It’s also great for surfing, has a huge expanse of golden sand, great cliff top walks and the town is really quaint and lovely with a great restaurant right on the beach.

# 2 – Kynance

I can imagine that Kynance will come up quite a bit in this link up and I’m not surprised if it does – it’s probably one of the most picturesque places in Cornwall! National Trust owned (so free parking if you’re a member-bonus!) It also gets busy in the summer, and the beach is quite small when the tide is in, but there’s plenty of space to lounge on the grass overlooking the sea and there’s a lovely cafe selling icecream and cream teas. It’s equally as breathtaking in the winter when it’s stormy – the huge rocks sticking out of the sea are incredible. One word of warning is that it’s not easily accessible from the car park – so not one to take a buggy down or anyone who has mobility issues (sorry granny).

# 3 – Mother Ivey’s Bay

Another blast from the past – this is the beach I was introduced to by one of my best friend’s Katie. It’s a fab little secluded bay which is privately owned by Mother Ivey’s Bay campsite. I spent a few days for consecutive years holidaying with Katie’s family and had so much fun. The sand is white and so soft, the sea is always really clear and I’ve never been when the sun wasn’t shining (though I can’t guarantee that for everyone). The campsite is really lovely and I was even lucky enough to spend a day last summer there as my friend Caitlin’s family own a chalet in the same place and we spent the day paddleboarding, eating great food and lying in the sunshine!

# 4 – Perranporth

I wanted to include a really great beachy seaside town, and although I spent 3 years living in Falmouth, I could dedicate a whole post to the town but the beach doesn’t compare to Perranporth. If you want a great surfing beach right next to a lovely town filled with shops and restaurants this is the place for you. The beach is huge which means there’s nearly always a more secluded spot to lay out your picnic rug. There’s always loads going on and there’s a fab music scene – with the UK’s only bar on the beach!

# 5 – Swanpool/Durgan

I wanted to choose a good swimming beach and have ended up choosing two (naughty I know!). Swanpool was always a favourite of mine as it’s right around the cliff from Gyllyngvase (Falmouth’s beach) which used to get packed out when the sun is out. Although it’s a bit stony and can get seaweedy in the winter, the water is incredibly clear and there are loads of rockpools to explore.

Around the corner from Swanpool if you’re willing to scramble down the cliff, there is a ravine that is perfect for cliff jumping. Although seen as a dangerous hobby, it’s so exhilarating and this particular location is really deep (though I did end up with lots of cuts and scratches as the rock is really sharp!)

Durgan is a bit different as it’s a lot calmer and trickier to get to – you have to walk down to it through the wood (not one for granny again I’d afraid!). The beach itself is quite small and covered in smooth pebbles, but it’s amazing for swimming and tends to be quiet and non touristy. The perfect place for a beach BBQ or camp out with a swim around all the moorings. Plus it’s right below Glendurgan gardens which is beautiful to walk around.

For more information see below:

Sennen Cove | Kynance Cove | Mother Ivey’s Bay | Perranporth | Swanpool | Durgan

As this is a link up post – a few other Cornish bloggers have also written about their top 5 Cornish beaches. I’m excited to see what they’ve all put and the links are as follows: