Porthtowan: Exploring Cornwall

The lovely beach in Porthtowan is one of my favourites in Cornwall. Near to Redruth on the North Cornish coast, Porthtowan is a little village popular in the holidays with tourists and a haven for surfers all year round. With a fine, sandy beach and clear, blue waters, it’s easy to forget you are still in Britain! There’s plenty of things to do in Porthtowan from exploring the coastline to taking a dip in the water. I’ve gathered together a few of my favourite points about Porthtowan and what makes it such a treasure to visit.

The view

Jagged rocks and cliffs carve a sweeping shore. Little streams trickle down the beach, racing each other back to the sea. Underfoot is some of the softest, cleanest Cornish sand making this an ideal beach for families and surfers. At low tide, the beach is so long and you can enjoy a lovely walk along the coast from Porthtowan to Chapel Porth Beach with St Agnes in the distance. There are actually a few web cams set up on Porthtowan beach capturing the shore which you can view here.

Surfing hotspot

Porthtowan is extremely popular with surfers and many surf schools hold lessons for the young and the old to master the art of riding the waves. They have lifeguards on duty during the day and flags which is great to see. On one day, we left the beach just as the locals had finished work for the day. They were all arriving to have a little post-work surf which is totally a lifestyle I could get behind! I can’t imagine anything better than leaving the office and heading straight to this gorgeous bay for some chill time in the sea on your board.

Rock pooling

When the tide heads out, little dips in the shore around the cliff edge fill up with seawater displaying all of the sea life which calls Cornwall home. Here, you can watch little fish exploring the rock pools with corals and seaweed swishing in the ripples. The tide pools also bear crabs, mussels, limpets and other crustaceans. It’s important to not disturb the sea life so please try your best to not cause any stress to whatever you find. Luckily, as the water here is so clear, you only have to peer into the water to spot something!

Moomaid Of Zennor Ice Cream Parlour

No trip to the beach is complete without an ice cream. Stopping for a cup of tea and suncream (typical unpredictable British weather!) at a lovely little beach shop, I was swiftly distracted by an awesome logo. The logo of a half-mermaid half-cow hybrid having a little paddle in the waves was printed on lots of stuff in the shop and I then realised we were in a Moomaid of Zennor Ice Cream Parlour! The Moomaid of Zennor is the cutest ice cream manufacturer in Cornwall, conjuring up all sorts of flavours from luscious curd creams to refreshing sorbets. Their main parlour is over in St Ives and, with it being one of the busiest times of the year for Cornwall, St Ives was rammmmmed so we didn’t stop off at the hotspot. I’m understandably super glad we got to try some of Moomaid of Zennor ice cream in Porthtowan. I went for the salted caramel honeycomb flavour (obvs!) which was soooo good.

Tidal swimming pool

Porthtowan has a lovely little secret. As you walk onto the beach, bear right. Around the corner, you’ll notice a fairly big rock wall. I spotted people hopping over the barrier and disappearing… Turns out, it’s a beautiful tidal swimming pool built into the rocks. Filling up with fresh sea water with every high tide, the pool is a well-hidden treasure unbeknownst to an average passer-by. Due to not many of the tourists knowing about it, the pool is often quiet and you can chill there in your own little corner of Cornish peace for a while. Access to Porthtowan’s hidden treasure is also via a cliff path so take care walking down this way. As with any tidal swimming pool, also be cautious to not get cut off when the tide starts coming in!

Are you planning a trip to the Cornish coast? You can read my post here where I wrote about some of my favourite things to do in Cornwall!
Since my recent visit, I’d now consider Porthtowan’s beach amongst my favourites in Cornwall. For the beautiful sandy shore and the little hidden treasures, it’s certainly up there on my list with some of the best beaches I’ve been to. Do you have a favourite beach? Perhaps it’s in Cornwall… In which case, I need to visit it! Leave me a comment below and tell me about your favourite beaches.