Holidays in Porthtowan, Cornwall – Blue Flag Surf Beach & the Mining Coast

HOLIDAYS IN PORTHTOWAN

Porthtowan is a small village on the North Cornwall coast, tucked into a steep valley that opens onto one of the best surf and family beaches in the county. It lies about two miles south-west of St Agnes and four miles north of Redruth, and its Cornish name, from porth and tewyn, means “the landing place at the sand dunes” – a fitting description of the beach today.

The beach holds a Blue Flag award for 2026. It is a wide, west-facing sweep of golden sand between dramatic cliffs, with rock pools at low tide, reliable Atlantic surf and RNLI lifeguards in season. Unusually for this coast, the main car park sits right behind the sand, and the famous Blue Bar looks straight out over the waves.

For all its holiday atmosphere, Porthtowan has deep roots in Cornwall’s mining history. The valley and cliffs around it were once busy with copper mines, and the ruined engine houses and chimneys that still stand on the hills are part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. The coast here is also part of the Godrevy Head to St Agnes Heritage Coast.

The village grew up as a seaside resort in Victorian and Edwardian times, when families from Redruth and the mining towns flocked here on bank holidays. Today it has a relaxed, unpretentious surf-village feel, with beach cafés, surf hire and schools, a beachside pub and a lively community – the charity Surfers Against Sewage was founded by surfers from Porthtowan and St Agnes in 1990.

Walkers are spoilt for choice. The South West Coast Path climbs out of the valley in both directions – north-east to Chapel Porth and the famous engine houses of Wheal Coates below St Agnes Beacon, and south-west towards Portreath. At low tide you can even walk along the beach to Chapel Porth, returning over the clifftops.

Holiday accommodation in and around the village includes cottages, apartments and holiday parks – see Porthtowan holiday cottages and holidays and short breaks in Porthtowan.

Best Time to Visit Porthtowan

Spring and early summer bring heather and gorse to the clifftops and quieter sands before the school holidays. July and August are the busiest months, with lifeguards on duty, surf schools in full swing and the Blue Bar at its liveliest. Remember that dogs are not allowed on the beach between 10am and 6pm from 15 May to 30 September.

September and October are favourites with surfers, with warm seas and good swells. In winter Porthtowan is wild and beautiful, with dramatic seas, empty sands and cosy evenings in the village; the beach is open to dogs all day outside the summer restriction.

PORTHTOWAN BEACH

Porthtowan beach fills the mouth of the valley, a broad expanse of sand at low tide that narrows to a steeper strip against the dunes at high water. A stream runs down the valley and across the sand, rock ledges and gullies at both ends are full of rock pools, and as the tide drops it becomes possible to walk along the shore towards Chapel Porth – but only on a falling tide, as the way back can be cut off.

It is one of North Cornwall’s best all-round surf beaches, picking up consistent Atlantic swell, with surf hire and lessons available in season. It hosts surf events, including longboard championships, and RNLI lifeguards patrol in the main season: swim and bodyboard between the red and yellow flags, and surf between the black and white chequered flags.

Beside the beach are the Blue Bar, a well-known beach bar and restaurant, the Unicorn on the Beach pub, a beach café, surf and beach shops, an ice-cream parlour, toilets and a children’s play area. Out on the rocks stands the Tobban Horse, a rock formation that has long been one of Porthtowan’s landmarks, though its landward side collapsed in the 1960s.

Dogs and safety. Dogs are banned from Porthtowan beach between 10am and 6pm from 15 May to 30 September. The cliffs here are made of soft, eroding slate – keep away from the cliff base and edges, check the tide times before walking to Chapel Porth, and always follow the lifeguards’ advice.

For full beach details, see our Porthtowan beach guide.

PORTHTOWAN’S MINING HERITAGE

Before it was a resort, Porthtowan was a mining community. Above the village, Wheal Towan was one of the most productive copper mines in 18th-century Cornwall. Its owner, the Truro merchant Thomas Daniell, was said to earn “a guinea a minute” from it, and his son Ralph Allen Daniell went on to own the Trelissick estate near Falmouth. Before it closed in the 1820s the mine is reported to have made profits of around £130,000; it was later reworked under other names, finally as West Wheal Lucy in 1872.

Other mines dotted the valley and cliffs. Tywarnhayle produced copper from 1826 to about 1860, and in 1830 a boiler explosion at the nearby United Hills mine killed nine people. Intensive mining stripped the hills between Porthtowan and Chapel Porth of trees and vegetation, and you can still see the ruined engine houses, chimneys and spoil heaps on the walk along the coast.

Today the whole coast from Porthtowan through Chapel Porth to St Agnes is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, recognising the worldwide importance of Cornish mining. The most famous survivor is Wheal Coates, whose clifftop engine houses above Chapel Porth, cared for by the National Trust, are among the most photographed sights in Cornwall.

CHAPEL PORTH, WHEAL COATES & THE COAST PATH

The South West Coast Path runs along the clifftops above Porthtowan in both directions. Heading north-east, it climbs past old mine workings to Chapel Porth, a small National Trust cove at the foot of a valley, and on to the engine houses of Wheal Coates and the open heath of St Agnes Head and St Agnes Beacon, with huge views along the coast.

At low tide, an alternative is to walk along the sand from Porthtowan to Chapel Porth and return over the clifftops – a classic short circuit, but only to be attempted on a falling tide, as the beach route is cut off when the tide comes in. Check the tide times before you go.

Heading south-west, the path follows the cliffs past the former RAF Portreath site at Nancekuke towards Portreath, a walk of a few miles with fine cliff scenery and seabirds. Inland, the village of Mount Hawke, about a mile and a half away, has its own church, where the crew of the wrecked Rose of Devon were buried in 1897.

THINGS TO DO IN PORTHTOWAN

Porthtowan is all about the beach and the coast, but the villages and attractions of the St Agnes coast and Mid Cornwall are close by when you want a change.

For families, the rock pools, the stream across the sand, the play area and surf lessons make for easy, happy days. On rainy days, head to St Agnes, Truro, Redruth or the attractions of Newquay and Falmouth, all within easy driving distance.

For walkers, the mining coast between Porthtowan and St Agnes is one of the most dramatic stretches of the South West Coast Path. Here are some of the best things to do in and around Porthtowan.

1. Spend a day on Porthtowan’s Blue Flag beach – Porthtowan beach guide.
2. Learn to surf with one of the surf schools on the beach.
3. Watch the sunset from the Blue Bar on the edge of the sand.
4. Walk to Chapel Porth at low tide, or over the clifftops on the coast path.
5. See the engine houses of Wheal Coates on the cliffs above Chapel Porth.
6. Climb St Agnes Beacon for views along the coast and inland to Carn Brea.
7. Explore St Agnes, the old mining village, and Trevaunance Cove – see our St Agnes tin mines walk.
8. Walk to Portreath along the cliffs to the south-west.
9. Go rock pooling on the ledges at either end of the beach at low tide.
10. Visit Truro, Cornwall’s cathedral city, about ten miles away.

HISTORY OF PORTHTOWAN

For centuries the valley at Porthtowan was farmland and moorland, with a corn mill and a scattering of cottages. In the 18th and early 19th centuries it was transformed by copper mining, and miners’ cottages, engine houses and spoil heaps spread across the hills. When the mines declined in the 19th century, the beach became the village’s fortune: in Victorian and Edwardian times people from Redruth and the mining districts came here on bank holidays, a few bathing machines appeared on the sand, and tea rooms served walkers on the cliffs.

The coast here has seen its share of wrecks. In 1816 the brig Harriet ran ashore, and soldiers had to drive off local miners who tried to board her. In the early hours of 29 November 1897 the barque Rose of Devon was driven onto the rocks in a gale; six bodies were found on the beach the next morning, and the crew were buried at Mount Hawke church. Local legend tells of a voice heard from the waves – “The hour is come, but not the man” – and of a dark figure who then ran down from the cliff and vanished into the sea.

In the 20th century Porthtowan became a surfing village. In 1990 surfers from Porthtowan and St Agnes founded Surfers Against Sewage to campaign against sewage pollution on Cornwall’s beaches; the charity, now based in St Agnes, has grown into one of Britain’s best-known marine conservation organisations. The village’s amateur theatre group, the Porthtowan Players, has performed in the village hall since 1968.

KEY BUILDINGS & LANDMARKS

• Wheal Coates engine houses – the 19th-century engine houses on the cliffs above Chapel Porth, cared for by the National Trust and part of the World Heritage Site.
• Mine engine houses and stacks around Porthtowan – ruins of the copper mines that once filled the valley and clifftops.
• The Tobban Horse – the rock formation on the shore that has long been a Porthtowan landmark.
• The Blue Bar – the beach bar and restaurant on the edge of the sand, a focus of village life and of Porthtowan’s surf scene.
• Mount Hawke church – the inland church where the crew of the Rose of Devon were buried in 1897.

LOCAL EVENTS

Porthtowan’s events revolve around the beach and the surf, with village and coast events nearby through the year.

• Surf competitions (various dates) – including longboard championships on the beach.
• Porthtowan Players productions (through the year) – amateur theatre in the village hall.
• Boardmasters (early August) – the surf, skate and music festival in Newquay.
• Royal Cornwall Show (June) – the county’s great agricultural show at Wadebridge.

Dates change from year to year – check our Cornwall events guide for current dates.

PLACES NEAR PORTHTOWAN

• Chapel Porth – the National Trust cove below Wheal Coates, a mile along the coast.
• St Agnes – the old mining village, with Trevaunance Cove and St Agnes Beacon, about 2 miles north-east.
• Portreath – the old harbour village and beach to the south-west.
• Perranporth – three miles of sand beyond St Agnes.
• Holywell Bay and Crantock – further up the coast towards Newquay.
• Truro – Cornwall’s cathedral city, about 10 miles east.