Upton Towans Beach (Cornwall)

Information
Upton Towans beach is a large and popular beach halfway along The Towans and is safe for swimming, surfing and windsurfing.
At its northern end is Peter’s Point, which is less popular as it is difficult to access but often gives a better surf.
Upton Towans Beach is dog friendly and allows dogs all year.
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
No water quality measurement available for Upton Towans Beach.
Tides
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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
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  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
- The Towans Beach
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  The Towans refers to a 4 mile stretch of beach and each individual area of the dunes behind the beach have their own identities. The individual areas include: Hayle Towans, Black Cliff, Riviere Towans, Mexico Towans, Common Towans, Phillack Towans, Upton Towans and Gwithian Towans. The Towans mix of sand, sand dune and grassland has a wide variety of wildlife and plants and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Some dunes rise to more than 50 metres (160 ft) above sea level. A wide section of places to park along this Hayle stretch of St. Ives bay. Dog restrictions: this is one long beach but each section has different dog rules, please check the signs at the point you enter.
- Mexico Towans Beach
  1.61 km
  
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  Mexico Towans is near the middle of the long Hayle Towans beach that looks over St Ives Bay. A sandy beach with high dunes and good for swimming and surfing/bodyboarding. This is a great family beach that has room for everyone even on the hottest and busiest summer days. Lifeguards in summer. Access is down the dunes themselves and so some may find the friendlier access at Black Cliff or Hayle Towans a better choice.
- Sunset Surf school
  1.74 km
  
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  The Sunset Surf school is located below Sunset Surf Café, just a short walk from Gwithian beach. Hayle beach is known for its consistent waves all year round, making it perfect for catching your first rides and improving your skills.
- The Cove Cafe
  2.11 km
  
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  Cafe overlooking Black Cliff beach at Hayle with good views over the bay towards Sty Ives. Offers a selection of hot and cold foods along with a few gifts and beach toys. Opening hours are seasonal.
- Black Cliff Beach
  2.15 km
  
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  Black Cliff beach is a sandy beach stretching between Hayle Towans and Mexico Towans. Hayle beach is a large beach backed by dunes and Black Cliff beach gives some protection from the wind by being sheltered by cliffs. The beach gets its name from the dark cliffs that line the back of the beach. You often get some large areas of shallow water near the cliffs when the tide is out that provide great safe play for small children. Facilities at the beach include a small beach cafe and toilets at the top of steps, and if the steps are too much then Hayle Towans beach has a sloped beach access and can be used to get onto this beach.
- Hayle Towans Beach
  2.34 km
  
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  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.
- St Ives Bay Beach
  2.41 km
  
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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!
- The Rockpool
  2.43 km
  
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  The Rockpool is a café bar standing in the dunes of Gwithian and Godrevy. The food includes fresh local seafood along with proper burgers and a large selection of drinks. The restaurant also hosts a wide range of events and can be hired for private functions. Dogs on leads are very welcome too!
- Gwithian Academy of Surfing
  2.44 km
  
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  The Gwithian Academy of Surfing’s surf school and shop are situated at Gwithian which is the Northernmost point of the lonh Hayle beach in St Ives Bay.
- Hayle Estuary Kitesurfing zone
  2.59 km
  
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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.
- Shore Surf School
  2.61 km
  
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- Gwithian and Godrevy Beach
  2.62 km
  
  1 Review
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  Gwithian / Godrevy beach is one of the best stretches of golden sand in Cornwall and is popular with both families and surfers. Located at the end of the long Hayle beach, within St Ives Bay, these two beaches are joined together at low tide. The area of sand dunes and grassland located behind the beach is owned by the National Trust. The beach is also used for kite buggies, kite surfing, and windsurfers as there is a large expanse of sand at low tide. Some good walks through the coastal grassland and heathland and you need to be careful of falling rocks by the cliffs. Facilities at the beach include toilets, cafes, tea room, surfboard hire, seasonal lifeguard cover and first aid. There is also a free car park 10 minutes walk away if you prefer not to pay for the one at the beach. The small Cornish village of Gwithian is about half a mile and has small shops, pub and cream teas.
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