Beautiful Porthcurno beach lies in a bay of craggy golden granite with soft white sand made from powdered shells and the clearest turquoise waters. Without doubt one of the finest beaches in Cornwall, if not the world…
Porthcurno is located on the south coast of the very west of Cornwall. Just a few miles around the coast from Land's End the beach is backed by the same craggy granite cliffs but is more sheltered from the often dramatic Atlantic weather and waves.
If there was an 'A List' of Cornish beaches then Porthcurno would be on there without question. In terms of raw beauty few beaches anywhere can match it; near white sand, crystal clear turquoise water and an amphitheater of rugged granite cliffs as a backdrop.
Not only does the sand here look special - it is special. Made up of seashells pounded to smithereens by the sea over millions of years it is quite unique and is partly responsible for the beautiful color of the sea here.
The high cliffs here provide some shelter from the wind and there is a stream flowing down the side of the beach which is ever popular with the kids. This often forms a big pool which is great for paddling. The beach is lifeguarded during the summer but towards high tide it is steeply shelving plus the waves can be extremely powerful so care should be taken.
At low tide the sand stretches all the way round to neighboring Pedn Vounder and the scenery is at its best with shallow pools of translucent water and islands of sand forming across the beach. It is an easy walk between the two coves, but make sure you don't get cut off unless you fancy the climb up the cliff "path" from Pedn. When the tide comes in the beach is much reduced in size and things become a little cozier.
For much of the year the waters at Porthcurno are as calm as they are clear. Nestled between dramatic cliffs, the bay stretches from the cliffs of Treen to the Minack Theatre this is a beautiful place to take a swim. With lifeguards on duty in the summer Porthcurno is generally considered a pretty safe spot for swimming.
It is hard to say which Porthcurno is more famous for, its beach or the Minack Theatre. The vision of one woman who decided to carve a clifftop theatre at the bottom of her garden. Almost as stunning as the neighboring cove it is well worth the climb up the cliff path to visit the Minack - if only for the view back down over the bay.
Built into the cliff side on the beach near where the path leads up to the Minack is a rather strange little house like structure with a set of steps leading up to it. This is also the work of the Minack creator, Rowena Cade. Apparently it was built as an oversize playhouse for her nephews and nieces. Today the door and window have been filled in though.
As with all of Cornwall's beaches it is important to check the tides when planning a visit. We would recommend aiming for low to mid tide as the beach size is much reduced at higher tides. See Porthcurno Beach tide times.
Given the natural beauty of Porthcurno beach we would start by saying there is no wrong time to visit! Then again, I will admit the beach truly comes into its own when the sun lights up the cliffs, turns the sand white and the water iridescent turquoise. Sadly, there is no guarantee of sunshine in Cornwall whatever the time of year, but it is generally significantly warmer and calmer in the summer months!
Porthcurno beach has only become more popular over the years so it will always be busy during the summer holidays. If you can, we'd recommend visiting during the shoulder season, when the lifeguards are still on duty but the crowd has thinned out.
In terms of what is the best tide for Porthcurno we would say low, as there is much more beach and you can walk to neighbouring Pedn Vounder and explore Green Bay. On the other hand, whilst the beach is very much reduced at high tide, it is great for swimming, albeit because the beach shelves quickly.
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In the process of making this video, I would like to thank CapCut, Epidemic Sounds, Freepik, Canva and Zarla for allowing me to use their products (Links shown bellow). Finally, I would like to thank to my lovely wife for giving me support and courage through out making these videos.
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