Porthcurno sits on the south coast of the far west of Cornwall, a few miles around the coast from Land’s End. The beach lies in a bay backed by granite cliffs, which give some shelter from the wind and make it calmer than the more exposed coast to the north. The sand is pale because it is made largely of crushed seashells, and that is part of the reason the water shows such a strong turquoise. A stream runs down one side of the beach and often forms a shallow pool that children paddle in.

Tides make a big difference here. At low tide the beach is at its widest, with shallow pools and islands of sand, and you can walk round to neighbouring Pedn Vounder. It is an easy walk, but keep an eye on the tide, because getting cut off means a climb up the cliff path from Pedn Vounder. As the tide comes in the beach shrinks a lot, so low to mid tide is the best time to arrive.

The bay is often calm and clear, and the beach is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards daily from 18 May to 29 September, between 10am and 6pm. Near high tide the beach shelves steeply, and when there is a swell running the waves are powerful, the currents are strong and the shorebreak can be vicious. Swim on calm days, ideally when the lifeguards are on duty, and leave the bigger waves to experienced surfers.

Dogs are not allowed on the beach between 1 July and 31 August from 10am to 6pm, but they are welcome at any other time of year. Porthcurno Beach Café is next to the car park and welcomes dogs, with a sun terrace for snacks, coffee or a beer and an attached shop selling beach essentials. There are toilets in the car park, which sometimes carry a 20 pence charge. The Telegraph Museum and the Minack Theatre also have cafes, though you need to be a paying visitor to use the one at the Minack.

By car, the postcode is TR19 6JX. From Penzance the drive takes under 30 minutes: leave the A30 for Porthcurno, then follow the winding B3283 past St Buryan and look for the signed left turn. The car park is about a five minute level walk from the beach and uses ANPR cameras, so pay when you leave, not when you arrive, or you will be charged twice. It fills up in peak season, so arrive early, or use the Minack Theatre car park at the top of the hill if you are visiting both. The A1 and A3 Atlantic Coaster buses stop at Porthcurno roughly every half hour, and there is an open top double decker in summer.

Getting onto the sand involves a 250 metre walk along an unsurfaced path, followed by steep steps or a sandy slope either side of the lifeguard hut. The beach is also on the South West Coast Path, and the walk from Land’s End is about 5 miles of fairly challenging terrain. Once you are here, the Minack Theatre is a short climb up the cliff path and well worth it for the view back over the bay, and the Telegraph Museum covers the village’s role in worldwide communications. You may see seabirds, seals and dolphins from the cliffs, and basking sharks in summer. Porthcurno is busy through the school holidays, so the shoulder season, when the lifeguards are still on duty, is a quieter time to visit.

Plan your visit

See Pedn Vounder, Porthcurno & Logan Rock

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