Porthgwarra Beach — Attraction in St. Levan

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Porthgwarra beach is a lovely small cove in Conwall. This is one of the quieter beaches in Cornwall at the bottom of a typical Cornish lane with stone wall banks either side. There's only sand here at low tide, but it's easy and safe to swim from the slipway. With no lifeguards and strong currents further out, caution is advised on straying too far from the confines of the cove. There are plenty of rock pools to explore and tunnels to discover. There's a decent size carpark in the valley and a café run by St Aubyns Estate. It would be advisable to get there early. The car park gets very busy during summer. You can walk up the tarmaced lane on the western side of the valley to reach Gwennap Head and its lookout station. The granite sea-cliffs here are favourites of rock climbers who cling by fingertips while the sea can be seen 200 feet below. Some visitors use the Porthgwarra beach car park to get to Nanjizal Beach. The cliff walk is very beautiful. Please be advised not get too close to the cliff edge specially when it’s rained. Dogs are welcome on this beach during off season. But dogs are not allowed during the summer starting from 1st of July to 31st of August. The road for the beach carpark is very narrow and a single track road. There are passing places. Please drive slowly and expect to reverse to reach the passing places when necessary. The car park has plenty of spaces. The path is not recommended for larger vehicles.

The car park is free for 30 minutes and you can pay by debit or credit card for...

A lovely place to visit with its small cove and active fishing community. There is a cafe at the car park entrance with food and drink available, it is also the place to get your parking permit.

There are some interesting features on the beach in the form of tunnels that can be explored and investigated by both adults and children.

The slipway is steep but accessible but not at all easy for the disabled. The fishing boats are hauled up by a winch system from the bottom of the slipway which is a necessary method peculiar to this little cove.

The boulders on the beach are very large and have a particularly rough surface which has been brought about by the action of the sea in rough weather over the seasons. This makes one aware of how hostile the sea can be on this Coastline.

On leaving the car park on foot one can access the coastal path which leads to Hella point and Gwennap head with its Coastwatch station.

Once again the views are fantastic with changing light and weather conditions on each visit. If you keep a watch on the birdlife you will probably see Cornish Choughs which have been introduced in this area, which is a wonderful thing for these birds and the people who live and visit here.

Its a wonderful place to visit, but by its very nature can be very dangerous, children and dogs must be closely supervised.

But, well worth a visit. Don't forget...

Wow just wow! what an amazing place absolutely gorgeous. Quite steep so accessibility not suitable for everyone to get on to the sand or in the sea, however there is a view point with benches so you can sit and admire the view near to the car park. Rock pools and holes in the rock to walk through. Very small little sandy cove just perfect, within the grounds of St Aubyns Eastate There is a cafe next to car park only has outdoor seating though but thoroughly enjoyed our cream tea in the rain. A true gem and my new...