Porthkidney Beach

Porthkidney Sands is another popular beach near St Ives. It stretches from the mouth of the River Hayle in Lelant to Hawk’s Point in Carbis Bay.

The beach itself is about a mile long and at low tide the sea goes out a long way to leave an expanse of beautiful sand. The railway line runs along the length of the beach as it climbs up to Carbis Bay, and this is often the first glimpse of the Atlantic Coast that many visitors will see as they round the corner from St Ives.

There are gentle dunes at the Lelant end of the beach, with several access points from the coastal path. As you walk along the beach towards Carbis Bay the landscape changes and the dunes rise sharply to form a steep cliff and provide an impressive view point back along the bay.

Instead of walking along the coast path, at low tide it is possible to walk around the point to Carbis Bay Beach. Be aware that the tide moves fast here, so take care and don’t get caught out.

At the northern end of Porthkidney Bay you will find Hawk’s Point. It is a surf spot that works in very big swell only – and given the tides close up to the river mouth, swimming is not advisable. The strong currents and lack of any lifeguard cover makes it potentially quite a dangerous place to swim.

Porthkidney Sands is dog friendly all year round with no restrictions.