The best dog walking beaches in Cornwall

Boat Cove beach, West Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Boat Cove is a little cove tucked into an inlet between Pendeen Lighthouse and Portheras Cove. It can be approached best by parking your car at Pendeen Watch Lighthouse and then following the coastal path down towards Portheras Beach. The pleasant 10 minute walk offers the chance to look east up the coast towards Gurnards Head and Zennor.

Caerhays Beach, Porthluney beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Otherwise known as Porthluney, this is a good south facing beach of sand overlooking Gerrans Bay.

Constantine Bay beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Constantine Bay offers a wide crescent of golden sand backed by masses of low dunes.

Crantock beach, West Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Crantock Beach is quite large at low tide but the beach disappears rapidly on an incoming tide due to its very flat nature.

Daymer Bay beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

A wide sandy beach that looks out across the Doom Bar in the Camel Estuary to Hawkers Cove and Harbour Cove, Padstow and the sea.

East Portholland beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

A pair of rocky covelets about a mile to the northeast of Portloe. West and East Portholland villages are little more than specks along this coast.

Fistral beach, West Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Fistral Beach is world reknowned in surfing circles as probably the best surfing beach in the UK.

Gillan Harbour beach, South Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Gillan Harbour lies about half mile south of the Helford River on the southern bank of a small creek opposite St. Anthony in Meneage.

Gorran Haven beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Gorran Haven has a reasonably sized beach of quite good sand.

Great Western Beach beach, West Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Great Western Beach is most easily approached from the west by crossing over Towan Beach.

Gwynver beach, West Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

The beach pronounced locally as 'Gwenvur' is slightly more windswept and rocky that its neighbour and is the haunt of the surfing community.

Hallane beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

The shingle beach is well worth a visit and can catch the sun in summer. It is also quite deserted, even in season.

Harlyn Bay beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Situated on the eastern, sheltered side of Trevose Head, Harlyn Bay is a large crescent shaped beach with a good expanse of sand at low tide.

Hemmick beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Hemmick Beach lies immediately below the hulk of Dodman Point on its western flank.

Loe Bar beach, South Cornwall

Dogs permitted on some parts of the beach

From Loe Bar the shingle becomes more flinty in nature as it runs the three miles or so southeast to Gunwalloe.

Mawgan Porth beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Mawgan Porth is a large west facing beach situated mid-way between the larger resorts of Watergate Bay and Bedruthan Steps.

Mexico Towans beach, West Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

East of Black Cliff the area becomes Mexico Towans before in turn becoming Phillack Towans and finally Upton Towans.

Par Sands beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Par Sands lie just to the east of the giant Imerys (English China Clays) drying works at Spit Point.

Pentreath beach, South Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Pentreath beach is a narrow strip of sand, pebbles and rocks due west of Lizard Village.

Polridmouth beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Pronounced P'ridmouth this beach lies just to the west of Fowey on the eastern flank of Gribbin Head.

Polstreath beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Polstreath Beach lies just to the north of Mevagissey and is reached by following the coastpath.

Porthallow beach, South Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Known locally as Pr'alla. Porthallow has a small little used beach with nearby refreshments available at the Five Pilchards Inn.

Porthbeor beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

A relatively large southeast facing beach of sand and rocks near St. Anthony and Bohortha.

Porthcothan beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Porthcothan is a west facing triangular-shaped sandy beach set in a cleft in the rocks just north of Park Head and Bedruthan Steps.

Porthleven beach, South Cornwall

Dogs permitted on some parts of the beach

Porthleven Sands lie to the southeast of the village, to the left of the harbour.

Porthoustock beach, South Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Known locally as Pro'stock. Porthoustock is signposted from St. Keverne on the B3293.

Portmellon beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Portmellon is a small little known beach lying between the far more popular port of Mevagissey and Gorran Haven.

Sandy Mouth beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

A west facing flat sandy beach that extends north to Duckpool and south to Summerleaze at low tide.

Summerleaze beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Just a stone's throw from the centre of Bude, this beach and its sister beach Crooklets can be very busy in summer.

Trebarwith Strand beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

A lesser known beach just west of Tintagel. There is no beach at high tide but a decent amount of sand at low tide.

Treyarnon beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Treyarnon Bay is a popular west facing surfing beach situated about ½ mile south of the far larger Constantine Bay.

Vault beach, East Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Vault Beach looks to be composed of greyish sand, but is actually a beach of fine shingle.

Watergate Bay beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

The beach extends for two miles north to Stem Point.

Whipsiderry beach, West Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Whipsiderry Beach is a quite large expanse of golden sand. It is bounded to the west by Trevelgue Head and to the East by Zacry's Islands.

Widemouth Bay beach, North Cornwall

Dogs permitted at all times

Widemouth Bay is a west facing stretch of sand running for almost 2 miles from Black Rock in the south to Lower Longbeak in the north.