A beach for every day of the week in Newquay

With so many beaches to choose from, here's our recommendations on beaches to visit in the Newquay area, one for everyday of the week.

Great for families

Porth Beach

Porth beach, on the outskirts of Newquay, is very popular with families with a large area of flat golden sand, perfect for buggies. The shallow stream at the entrance of the beach offers safe bathing for small children, along with plenty of rock pools and caves waiting to be explored.

You will find lifeguard cover May-Sept, shops, cafes, pub and toilets nearby for your convenience.

Towan Beach

Towan Beach is at the heart of Newquay, at the bottom of a steeply sloping hill. The beach is bordered to the west by the picturesque harbour and just a short walk from many shops, restaurants, cafes and toilets. At low tide Towan joins with Tolcarne and Great Western beach, forming one long extended sandy strip.

Lifeguard cover available May-Sept.

Great for dogs

Crantock Beach

Crantock offers a large expanse of golden sands, perfect for giving your four legged friend a good run around. Backed by the dunes of the Pentire Headland to the west and the Gannel estuary to the east, the beacc is dog friendly all year and has great facilities including cafes, toilets and parking with 150 spaces.

Lifeguard cover May-Sept. Access to the beach can be difficult with buggies due to the steep dunes.

Great for adrenaline Junkies

Lusty Glaze beach

Newquay's hidden gem of a sandy beach is well sheltered by surrounding high cliffs, with loads of activities to keep you busy. Cliff activities include abseiling, zip wire and the terror tight rope or if you prefer to get wet, you can give surfing or body boarding a go. You will also find a beach-side restaurant, shop and toilets and lifeguard cover May-Sept.

Great for watersports

Fistral beach

Say the word Fistral to any avid surfer and you can guarantee their eyes will widen in awe. As one of the world’s top surfing destinations, backed by high cliffs and sand dunes, Fistral is the playground for hundreds of enthusiasts who flock to the beach to get a fix of the big waves. Stand-up paddle boards, body boards, surf boards and wetsuits are all available to hire, as well as instructors for lessons. Great facilities include a beach bar, cafes, take-away, toilets and shops and lifeguard cover May-Sept.

Watergate Bay

Two miles of golden sand at low tide stretches towards Newquay and out to sea enormous waves come in from the Atlantic providing a spectacular sight and a popular surfing and kitesurfing spot. Famous for the location of the Extreme Academy, if you want to learn how to surf, kite surf, paddle board, waveski or handplane then here’s the place for top notch tuition and equipment hire. Lifeguard cover May-Sept.

Great for romantics

Holywell Bay

This huge beach of golden sand backed by grass tufted dunes is a perfect example of the north coast’s wide open bays large enough for everyone to enjoy whatever comes naturally. Sit amongst the romantic dunes for an intimate BBQ, stroll along the golden sands at sunset or visit the grotto-like Holywell Cave, with its calcium deposits.