Sandy beach in a tiny cove
Web: www.visitcornwall.com/things-to-do/beaches/porthcothan-bay-beach
This view shows the grandeur of the rugged cliff scenery just to the north of Porthcothan Beach. Trevose Head is just visible in the distance.
Situated just a few miles south-west of the busy harbour town of Padstow and right on the B3276. Porthcothan is a lovely sandy bay with a small stream, running across a fine golden sandy beach, that is sheltered by sand dunes and craggy headlands. At low tide there are plenty of delightful rock pools.
Almost a mile inland from the sea caves, lost in the dense foliage on the steep hillside of a woodland valley, there is a mysterious cave known locally as ‘Long Vugha’ or ‘The Vugha’. Its small entrance, surrounded by brambles and moss and just big enough for a person to squeeze through, would be easily missed by anyone who was not searching for it and the vast cave that lies within. This is compounded by the evidence inside the cave that it has been shaped by tools, and the discovery of a Neolithic axe at the site.
High Summer, the sea is blue, the sun is shining. What more could a walker desire?
The beach is popular with tourists and surfers and is protected by lifeguards during the day in the summer. There is a pay-and-display car park and a small grocery shop near the beach.
In January 2014, heavy rain and storms reduced a scenic local arch, Jan Leverton's Rock, to rubble.
Nick Darke (1948-2005) the playwright, writer and poet lived most of his life here.
Bedruthan Steps Harlyn Bay St. Merryn Trevose Head The Coastal Footpath
Cornwall's Beaches Old MacDonald's Farm