With seven beaches, and picturesque harbour, St Ives is the jewel of the westcountry.
Families love the safe beaches, the azure blue sea of the bay, the tiny cobbled streets and hidden corners waiting to be explored. Many of the beaches have small car parks near by, but St Ives is very popular, causing great demand on parking spaces. The best option being the main car park at the top of the town.
Porthminster is a large sheltered sandy beach with all facilities. Blue
Flag beach ideal for families. Porthminster beach is located next to a
large car park and the St Ives train station. The beach has a seasonal
Life Guard service. Food and drinks can be bought at the popular Porthminster
cafe.
Porthminster Beach in St ives - looking towards Harbour Beach and the Island
Only exposed as the tide recedes, Lambeth Walk beach is not very well know, despite being adjacent to the harbour. At low tide Lambeth Walk beach and the harbour beach combine and occasionally it connects to Porthminster beach. The beach is named after the popular 1930s dance - "The Lambeth Walk". The beach is the ONLY YEAR ROUND DOG FRIENDLY BEACH in St Ives.
Harbour beach in St Ives
A very popular beach -due to its location at the centre of St Ives. The St Ives Harbour Beach is a sheltered sandy beach that is located next to the towns quayside. With shops, cafes and bars along two sides the beach is always very popular with families.
A small sheltered cove with a beach, situated between the harbour and Porthgwidden beach Bamaluz often goes unnoticed by the majority of visitors to St Ives. The beach is tidal - at high tide the beach is reduced to a small strip of sand. The quiet sandy beach is overlooked by the remains of the Wheal Dream tin mine.
A small sheltered beach below the "Island". A popular beach with holiday makers that have discovered its almost hidden location. The beach is sheltered from the wind and acts like a suntrap.
Children like to play amongst the rocks on the south side of the beach. Porthgwidden beach has many facilities available (But no Life guards). There is a car park near by, but this fills very quickly. Porthgwidden has a very good cafe, adjacent to the main access point. There are two-storey row of beach huts that are available to rent from the council.
Harbour Beach, St Ives
Porthmeor Beach - looking towards "the Island
A Popular "Blue Flag" Beach with a long stretch of sand. Porthmeor is the premier beach in St Ives, popular with both surfers and families. The beach is overlooked by the Tate Gallery and has all the facilities needed to enjoy a day on the sands including a very good beachside café, and surf school.
Porthmeor Beach is the most dramatic of all St Ives's Beaches - flanked by rugged rocky headlands and, like Fistral Beach in Newquay, open to the full force of the Atlantic Ocean and the large waves that this produces. There is a seasonal lifeguard service. There is a car park near by, but this fills very quickly.
The beach at Clodgy Point is a rocky foreshore with a few patches of sand and shingle. The beach has no facilities, but is popular snorkelling and rock-pooling. The nearest car park is at Porthmeor Beach.
