Portheras Cove Beach

Portheras Cove is the ‘locals’ beach every visitor dreams of finding. Its secluded sandy bay, turquoise waters and craggy Cornish headlands can be found at the end of a valley on the Penwith Peninsula, between Morvah and Pendeen.

Signs at the beach warn of strong undercurrents if swimming. Also there have been reports of sharp pieces of metal remaining in the sand from a shipwreck blown up years ago, so it may be worth wearing footwear at all times.

Owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, this secret cove, often visited by seals, is on Cornwall’s wild Tin Coast. Isolated and only accessible on foot, the South West Coast Path passes above it with steep rocky steps leading down past a waterfall onto the beach.

The iconic Pendeen Lighthouse, built in 1891, has parking beside it from where you can walk to the beach.