Porthleven beach is next to the harbour and near the village centre.
Porthleven beach is separated from the harbour by the granite pier which lies in front of the Porthleven institute and clock tower. When the tide is out it is possible to walk in an easterly direction along Porthleven beach for approximately three miles, past Loe Bar and Penrose Estate. Alternatively, you can walk along the coast path the coast path out of the village with the Porthleven beach below you.
At high tide, the beach all but disappears.
Excellent surfing location for intermediate to advanced surfers with a natural reef break. Best months is between September and December but you will always get a strong surfing community and on big days news will travel and may get packed.
On a calm day a good location for SUP with choices of the protected harbour and the beach front.
The beach is a short walk along the harbour to the village centre where you have parking, shops and a selection of cafe and pubs.
We have no current information on dog restrictions for Porthleven Beach.
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.
Our weather forecast for The Lizard in Cornwall
Weather forecast from Yr, delivered by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and NRK
Tides
Our tide forecast for Porthleven Beach in Cornwall.
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.
Porthoustock beach is a pebble beach surrounded by old quarries. This is not so picturesque as other Cornish coves. The beach is popular launching beach for divers as Porthoustock’s proximity to The Manacles, a set of treacherous rocks by Manacle Point means that it has lots of shipwrecks. Limited facilities. Read more…
Housel Bay is a small sandy cove that disappears at high tide. Visitors need to be careful not to be cut off as the tide comes in! The bay is reached by a walk along the coast path from Lizard Point (approx 20 minutes) and there is a steep climb down to the beach from the coast path. Facilities include Read more…
Polnare Cove is a remote sand/rocky beach situated around the corner from the Nare Point headland below the MOD Observation Post. The path down leads from the old observation post on Nare Point. From this cove, you can explore the rock pools and formations of Nare Point. The beach has no facilities and only accessible by foot. Read more…
Portbeer Cove is a small sandy and rocky cove, although the sand disappears at high tide. The beach sits to the side of Chynhalls Point and is a popular beach for snorkelling. There are no facilities, best access is to park at Coverack and take a walk along the coastal path. Dogs allowed. Read more…
Cadgwith Cove is an old world Cornish fishing village with two beach areas. One beach is the home of the village small fleet of crabbing boats winched up on the beach. The second beach is the swimming beach, a small shingle beach with rocks to climb and explore. The boat beach is easily accessible whilst the swimming beach is down Read more…
St Anthony-In-Meneage is a small beach located in a waterside hamlet within Gillan Creek. Popular for sailing and motor boats but limited facilities, just a car park and shop. Read more…
Loe Bar beach is actually made up of 2 parts; The Loe, which is the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall and the Bar, a half mile shingle/flint bank that separates the Loe from the sea. The uniqueness makes this a Designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The sea at this part of the coast is not suitable for swimming, Read more…
Jangye Ryne beach is a small sandy beach on a very rocky stretch of coastline. Limited parking and toilets. We have no dog information for Jangye Ryne beach. Read more…
Kennack Sands a sandy beach with rock pools. At high tide the beach is split into two but at low tide is is a very large beach. East facing beach popular with surfers of all abilities. Facilities include car park, toilets, cafe, beach shop. Read more…
Downas Cove is a sand and stoney cove backed by grass topped cliffs. Not much beach at high tide but as the tide goes out you get some great sand and rock pools. This beach and some of the other nearby coves are popular for snorkelling. No facilities only accessed from the coastal path. Dogs allowed. Read more…
Kynance Cove on dramatic and historic stretch of Cornish coast – white-sand, cliffs, turquoise water and multi-coloured islands. Calm seas means good swimming conditions but there can be rip tides and strong currents. Excellent location for walking and spending the day on the beach. At low tide there is sand, caves and rock pools. Often missed as visitors go straight for Read more…
Polurrian Cove a large south west facing beach with sand and fine shingle. Popular with families in summer due to its proximity to Mullion and several caravan and camping sites. This part of the coast has excellent cliff walks north along Angrouse Cliff towards Poldhu Cove and south towards Mullion Cove. Facilities include a cafe, with parking a 10 minute Read more…
We visited and unlike the other reviewer seems were lucky and had nice calm weather. This was great for us and our kids as it was not too busy and they loved the rock pools by the harbour walls as well as the sand.
The harbour area has some interesting shops and not just the usual Cornwall tourist tat. We had a meal in the Harbour Inn that although was not special was good value. Recommend this as a stop if you are touring the Cornish south coast.
Always too rough.
Been to Porthleven twice and on both occasions it has been too rough to go onto the beach. I am sure it is good but is exposed and so make sure it is a calm warm day.
2 Reviews on “Porthleven Beach, Cornwall”
We visited and unlike the other reviewer seems were lucky and had nice calm weather. This was great for us and our kids as it was not too busy and they loved the rock pools by the harbour walls as well as the sand.
The harbour area has some interesting shops and not just the usual Cornwall tourist tat. We had a meal in the Harbour Inn that although was not special was good value. Recommend this as a stop if you are touring the Cornish south coast.
Always too rough.
Been to Porthleven twice and on both occasions it has been too rough to go onto the beach. I am sure it is good but is exposed and so make sure it is a calm warm day.