Newquay's beaches
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Dogs, parking, toilets and 2026 lifeguard dates for all nine beaches — including which rules are council, private, or National Trust.
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Loading Newquay's beaches…
Dogs, parking, toilets and 2026 lifeguard dates for all nine beaches — including which rules are council, private, or National Trust.
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Newquay's beaches each play by their own rules — the council sets dog restrictions on some, private operators run others, and the National Trust backs Crantock. Here's what actually applies at each one, with dates. Listed roughly west to east.
Whipsiderry's steps are closed
No flags means nobody is watching
Dog rules are set beach-by-beach
The UK's best-known surf beach, west-facing with consistent Atlantic swell. Big, lively, and full of surf schools all season.
Rip currents are routine here — swim between the red-and-yellow flags.
The town-centre beach, sheltered by the harbour — the one with the house on the rock island. The calmest of the town beaches and the easiest to reach on foot.
Joins Great Western and Tolcarne in one ribbon of sand at low tide; the rising tide splits them back into separate coves — leave time to walk back.
A broad family beach below Cliff Road, a touch quieter than Towan, with day-hire beach huts in season.
A sandy cove under the cliffs run by Tolcarne Beach Village — beach huts, apartments and a restaurant on the sand.
A privately owned horseshoe cove ringed by cliffs, run as a beach venue with a restaurant, events and an adventure centre. Open to the public.
Access is a long staircase of about 133 steps — hard going with buggies or limited mobility.
A long, flat, sheltered inlet that empties to firm sand at low tide — the easiest family beach in Newquay, with the Porth Island headland walk at its end.
The tide comes in fast across the flat sand — keep an eye on it, especially out near the island footbridge.
A wild, cave-pocked beach under high cliffs just north of Porth — beautiful at low tide, and genuinely hard to reach safely right now.
The access steps have been closed since cliff falls in November 2023 and had not reopened at our last check (June 2026). The only way in is along the sand from Porth at low tide, and the rising tide cuts that route off completely. Stay well clear of the cliff base — falls are ongoing.
Two miles of open sand backed by cliffs, ten minutes north of town — big skies, reliable surf, and the Boardmasters festival site each August.
At the highest tides the sand disappears almost entirely — check tide times before setting off on a long walk. Expect crowds and traffic around Boardmasters, 5–9 August 2026.
A wide, dune-backed beach across the Gannel estuary, looked after by the National Trust. Feels a world away from town.
On foot from Newquay you depend on the Gannel tidal crossings — the footbridges flood at high tide and people get caught out every year. Driving round takes about 15 minutes.
9 beaches
Whipsiderry's steps are closed
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