best beaches in cornwall

[barbamama]

fancy trying some new ones - can you reccomend for young family? Not bothered about surfing, just nice, attractive beaches.

I like Polzeath beach

porthcurno is fab

mousehole is quite safe for little children as it is contaied in the harbour, but the parking is atrocious

Polzeath is beautiful.

St Ives has several all lovely, Porthgwidden perfect for little ones, cafe and loos there too.

Hayle beach
Mousehole ok, but better to get the bus from penzance me thinks
Marazion

(i live down here btw)

We like Polzeath and Daymer Bay Both are beautiful.

Prussia Cove, near Penzance, ( Rosdudgeon is the village) but you have to leave car and walk a bit unless you are renting one of the houses, there's a few, and a fab Lutyens Hall right on the sea. It's so beautiful, and very off the beaten track.

thanks esp for the local recommendations - keep them coming.

Polzeath and Sennen Cove (fab cafe overlooking beach)

Also tiny beaches like Trebarwith Strand (which disappears at high tide)

Rock - not much parking, but can walk there from Daymer bay or vice versa, is a lovely day.

All mine have already been mentioned...

Hayle/Gwithian
Porthcurno
Sennen Cove

In St Ives, I like Porthmeor Beach.

Kynance Cove is pretty lovely too.

Church Cove near Mullion is lovely, Sennen if fab, Praa Sands is really nice and the shop and cafe there is lovely. Kynance Cove is amazing but its a long walk down to the beach from the car park - not for the faint hearted! Porthhallow (I'm on a roll now), I've seen dolphins of Porthleven, though no great for kids as not sandy and I wouldn't allow the children in the water by themselves as the undercurrent can be very strong.

We're off to Cornwall camping later on int he year, BIL and his family live down there and we love it, we usually stay closer to Praa Sands but this year we're off to Padstow - can;t wait

Oops, no, I meant Porthminster (have been living in exile too long). Porthmeor is also good (and convenient for the Tate) but Porthminster has a nice cafe and is easier for parking (station car park), though you still need to get there early in high summer.

Holywell bay is lovely and has a smaller, safer beach area with shallow water that's perfect for children.

Although it doesn' look much from the road side I like Maenporth for the Dcs. Lovely shallow water for quite a way out, and there are streams and caves on the LHS as you look out to sea, which are good for damming! The beach is well protected and usually has some kind of activity on weekends in the summer season.

There is an okayish tea bar on the beach and a posh restaurant right across the road.

I also agree with Church Cove - lovely.

Coverack is very pretty if the tide is out - but non-existent sand otherwise, although the rocks for rock pooling are fab. Pretty village with a nice cafe and a great harbour for line fishing off of

this is great thanks, we only started going a couple of years ago and don't know anyone down there so it is great to hear some others - we normally hang around Watergate Bay/Mawgwan Porth (and Polperro as dp used to go as a child) and have been around St Ives but we are going for longer this time so thought I'd get some trusted MN recommendations - assuming the weather plays ball of course.

Porthcurno is my fave. Sandymouth near Bude is also great (NT beach)

Portreath on the north coast near Redruth/Camborne is lovely.

Broke my arm on Porthcurno beach when I was 7 months pregnant - beautiful beach though

I was going to suggest my local - Portreath, but someone beat me to it.