PORTHCOTHAN BAY - North Cornwall
View of the Bay at Porthcothan looking South
Another hidden gem of a beach between Padstow in the North, and Mawgan Porth in the south, along the coast road that runs from Padstow down to Newquay along the B3276. It is easy to drive past without thought as you see nothing from the road but if you are looking for a great beach then this one should do nicely. There is a fair size car park for those traveling by car but like pretty much ALL car parks in Cornwall during the summer months, or even on nice days out of season, it will fill up pretty quickly.
The beach lies between two headlands and at low tide, the sand is exposed for quite a distance also revealing the numerous rock outcrops, and caves, which are littered along the Cornish coast. It is very picturesque and photos are easily taken as wherever you point the camera, it seems to work. Some of the caves are quite deep and end in darkness, so watch out if you have kids with you.
Looking out from the caves at Porthcothan
After parking your vehicle, the walk to the beach is short and after passing the sand dunes you then go down to the beach. When the tide is in there is limited walking as the water tends to come right up to the dunes giving you limited access. At these times, a walk up the cliffs would give you more scenery and views of the surrounding area.
The village is quite small so there are limited services in this area so be aware that it may be better to bring your own refreshments especially if you require certain foodstuffs. There are a few outlets that supply food and drink but you can imagine that they get quite busy in the high season.
Our first visit was fortunate in that the tide was right out when we arrived, so we had a full run of the sandy beach and walked around the headland on the left which had a few large caves which were intriguing and warranted a little exploration which we duly did. We all like a good smugglers story do we not? 
View from the North end looking South
All in all, the beach is a wonderful place to hang out for the day if the weather is great and the tides are right so you have full access to the beach as it is a lovely walk to go on. We were there on a cloudy day so the photos do not do the beach justice as it was slightly dull and windy.
Photo Gallery for Porthcothan Bay - click on photo to enlarge, use side arrows in photo when hovered to browse
