Porthmeor Beach (Cornwall)

Information
Porthmeor beach is perfect for families, as the beach sits in the town of St Ives and is overlooked by the Tate St Ives.
The beach has good sand at the top and then a slope at high water mark takes you to a large expanse of flat compact sand.
Surf school is located on the beach.
This beach has a cafe and restaurant, toilets, seasonal lifeguards and access to St. Ives town. In the summer it can be very hard to park in St. Ives.
Porthmeor Beach is a Blue Flag Beach and has been awarded a regional Seaside Award.
Porthmeor beach does not allow dogs May to September.
Why not check other beaches nearby as we have no beaches around Penwith Peninsula, 215 beaches in Cornwall, or check our list of Cornwall Dog Friendly Beaches.
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Beach Water Quality
Water samples are taken at regular intervals during the bathing season and at the end of the season the water quality is classified as:
- Excellent: the highest classification meaning the water is cleanest
- Good: generally good water quality
- Sufficient: meets minimum standards
- Poor: You are advised not to swim. The beach will stay open and an action plan should be in place to improve the water quality.
Tides
7 Day Weather Forecast
Our weather forecast for Penwith Peninsula in Cornwall is split into two widgets. The first shows a timeline containing temperature, wind, sunrise/sunset and chance of rain, whilst the second shows the forecast for the week ahead including severe weather alerts when available.
You may also like ...
In this 'you may also like' section we attempt to answer what else can I do? Here you have a list by order of being the closest some more beaches, things to see and do, places to eat and upcoming events.
- St Ives Food and Drink Festival
  0.9 km
  
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  10th May 2019
  -
  12th May 2019
  The festival runs for three days at Porthminster beach in St Ives. Activities include:fantastic demonstrations from nationally renowned celebrity chefs artisan traders with high quality food and drink music performances children’s play area water sports activities
- St Ives Harbour Beach
  0.33 km
  
  2 Reviews
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  St Ives Harbour is a working harbour but as the tide goes out you have a small beach protected by the harbour walls and within the heart of St Ives. A very busy area with restaurants and pubs but also you can hire boats and take seal trips from here. All the facilities of St Ives including car parks, boat hire, boat trips, amusements, shops, pubs and restaurants. Car parking is bad in St Ives and it is recommended to park and take the train.
- St Ives lifeboat station
  0.39 km
  
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  St Ives has had a lifeboat since the 1830s and the station today currently operates two lifeboats. Station and shop open weekdays in the summer.
- Porthgwidden Beach Chalet Hire
  0.45 km
  
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  Porthgwidden Beach currently has 39 chalets which are available to hire on a weekly or seasonal basis. Located on the beach with views out over St.Ives bay towards Godrevy Lighthouse and Hayle beaches. Porthgwidden Beach is in the heart of St. Ives with access to all of the towns shops and places to eat.
- Bamaluz Beach
  0.48 km
  
  1 Review
  Favorite
  Bamaluz beach is a small sandy beach with large boulders that all but disappears at high tide. Within St Ives this is the beach for allowing dogs and so is typically used exclusively by dog owners. The beach itself is situated just north of the harbour wall and bellow St Ives Museum. You have car parking and facilities within St Ives and access to the beach is down some steep steps.
- Porthgwidden Beach
  0.5 km
  
  1 Review
  Favorite
  Porthgwidden beach is a small sandy sheltered beach to the north of St Ives harbour. The beach is backed by grass slopes and beach huts and as well as the sand you have some interesting rocks to explore. The beach is positioned within the town between the bigger St. Ives beaches and more visitors tend to head to these bigger neighbours of Porthmeor or Porthminster beaches. Plenty of facilities as this is in the heart of St. Ives although parking can be a problem.
- Porthminster Beach
  0.78 km
  
  No Reviews
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  Porthminster beach is in the town of St Ives and sits just below the railway station. Excellent for people who want to swim and spend time on the beach whilst also having easy access to all the facilities available within St Ives.
- Porthminster Cafe
  0.98 km
  
  No Reviews
  Favorite
  Porthminster Cafe is located on one of St Ives best beaches with great views over St Ives Bay towards Godrevy Lighthouse. The café is open daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner or you can stop by for a selection of homemade patisserie and fine coffees.
- Carbis Bay Beach
  2.25 km
  
  1 Review
  Favorite
  Carbis Bay is a sandy beach about a mile east of St Ives and a resort in its own right. Very safe bathing due to sheltered aspect and calm sea. Also ideal for windsurfing and water-skiing. All facilities close to the beach, although a small car park and lifeguards during the summer.
- St Ives Bay Beach
  2.97 km
  
  No Reviews
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  St Ives Bay has two main areas. The town beaches on the St Ives side of the estuary and then the long beach on the Hayle side of the estuary. The Hayle side has 3 miles of sandy beach backed by sand dunes (“Towans”) and cliffs. The beach stretches from St Ives estuary up to Godrevy beach, just off the point you will see the Godrevy lighthouse built in 1859. This whole bay provides a wide range of activities including relaxing on a quite stretch, rock pools, canoeing, fishing, surfing and kitesurfing. As the beach area is so large plenty of room for everyone. When you have finished on the beach move up to St Ives town and browse around the Tate gallery. This is really an ideal spot to base a Cornish seaside holiday!
- Porthkidney Sands Beach
  3.5 km
  
  No Reviews
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  Porthkidney is a sheltered beach with about 600m of golden sand and sand dunes, the dunes are also known as Lelant Towans. The beach is separated from Hayle beach by a narrow strip of water. Excellent beach for swimming and becomes a surfers beach in the winter as its sheltered location helps to keep the surf up when other more exposed beaches loose wave height. Bathing anywhere near the river estuary is very dangerous as the currents can be extremely strong, safe swimming area is marked. Seasonal lifeguard and close to all the facilities in St Ives itself. We have no dog information for Porthkidney Sands beach.
- Hayle Estuary Kitesurfing zone
  3.88 km
  
  No Reviews
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  You need to buy and display a permit to kitesurf in the estuary zone. The area is administered by the Hayle Harbour Authority and a strict code of conduct must be adhered to.
- Hayle Towans Beach
  4.22 km
  
  No Reviews
  Favorite
  Hayle Towans beach sits alongside Hayle estuary. Good sandy beach although we would recommend moving along the beach away from the estuary for safer swimming, check out the lifeguard swimming flags that normally sit in front of Black Cliff beach. Whilst the north end of St Ives Bay has good surfing beaches, Hayle Towans is the spot for kitesurfing and canoeing. Towans means sand dunes. Facilities include lifeguards in the summer, toilets, pub and cafe. Hard path slope down to the beach from the RNLI hut makes it easier to access than the steps at Black Cliff beach.
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What do others think ...
1 Review on “Porthmeor Beach (Cornwall)”
- Anonymous
  
  4 years ago
  A great beach in the heart of St Ives.
  The kids enjoyed bodyboarding and playing on the large beach area, although as the tide came in the remaining sandy areas became a bit busy. Also good as you can leave your towels on the beach and just grab a Cornish pasty from the local bakery.
  Reply ↓
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