Harlyn Bay

Harlyn is one of the beaches near Padstow: a big, flat expanse of sand, at least when the tide is out. Today the surf is messy, and it's cold, windy and rainy. Couples sit in their cars overlooking the bay, reading their papers while their dogs gaze out longingly. I brave the elements anyway, and get the beach all to myself. It stops raining soon after I leave...

Towan (in Roseland)

Towan in the Roseland seems in the middle of nowhere. There is no village nearby. A man and his dog, then a white sail heading home towards the Carrick Roads near sundown, and then I have the whole world to myself as far as the eye can see, and the cold seeping through my gloves doesn't matter...

Harbour Cove (Padstow)

Today the wind blows icy cold straight in from the sea, bringing mists and haze to the coast around Padstow. You glimpse the sun for maybe just a moment, and it feels already later than it is. With the tide begining to ebb, the beach stretching from Padstow to Harbour Cove is a long ribbon of sand, and walking into the mist along the water's edge, your feet sink with each step, almost to the tops of your shoes. Beyond the cove, you lose the protection of the headland on the opposite shore, and wild white horses ride the sea in full gallop towards the shore...

Pentewan Sands

Pentewan Sands is the public beach at Pentewan, on the east side of the river. Today at low tide it is actually showing above water, in three parts or more. The evidence of Pentewan's past as an industrial port is all around but has somehow been softened by wind and water, while the little coves at the far end are delightful to just sit and watch the skies slowly darken after sunset.

Readymoney Cove

Readymoney is well positioned at the mouth of the Fowey river facing Polruan on the other side. It's sheltered by the headland and in summer they anchor a large pontoon just a little way offshore, so the kids can wade out to it from this gently shelving beach. Today I see my first sailing boat head out to sea, and return before sunset. A few rowing gigs also dash back and forth for practice late in the day. Impossible to see a sailboat in this weather without desperately yearning to be out there myself once more. Soon, maybe, it will be time for me to abandon the beaches and head out to sea again...

Bedruthan

You climb down a long narrow steep set of steps to get to the bottom where giant granite stacks rise out of the sand and water. These are the famous Bedruthan Steps, all in a ragged row along this beach for several hundred metres, awesome to behold in any weather, from above or below. Walking along Bedruthan beach with the steep rocky cliff on one side and the giant columns on the other is like being in a canyon by the sea...

Hemmick

This beach, a nightmare to get to, is sandy in its main part, lovely for walking and dawdling but not suitable for swimming or any other water sports - long thin ridges of granite and slate run out to sea, exposed when the tide is out. Today it is like the first glorious day of spring, and at low water you walk past large boulders at either end of the beach, to find lots of small rocky, shingly coves to dawdle in.

Looking Back (Portmellon)

When you finally get to Portmellon, it is difficult not to feel a little let down after the effort - it feels like an ordinary, workaday place, especially with the JCB's and cement lorries, and upside-down dinghies in everyone's front yards. But then you remind yourself that this is maybe how it should be; not all picture-postcard seaside villages full of empty houses in winter. And the views out to sea are always worth it...

Portmellon

There is no easy way to get here. As you make your tortuous way through narrow winding lanes, you wonder if they really want anyone to visit. The beach itself also seems a bit inaccessable - a steep vehicle ramp from the road, and a launching ramp of steel rails. Not exactly people-friendly, but at low water, it is pleasant enough for a short stroll. From here though, you look out eastwards towards Gribbin Head on the left, knowing that Foye is hiding just behind it. Beyond, the coastline disappears way way into the distant haze towards Plymouth on the Devon border...

Mounts Bay

The skyline in Mounts Bay is totally dominated by St. Michael's Mount, so it's really hardly worth trying to exclude it from any photos. At first glance it bears an uncanny resemblance to mont St. Michel in Brittany, but Cornwall's St. Michael's Mount has a sense of calm and stillness that is harder to find in the French version, perhaps because the tourist shops that line the approaches don't exist here. The bay forms a perfect setting, sweeping round in a wide arc from Newlyn on the right, through Penzance and on to Marazion and beyond. For me, it's nicest in winter and when, like today, the clouds bring out all the subtler colours of the bay.

Porth Joke

Known affectionately by locals as Polly Joke, this is a wonderful narrow but deep sandy cove on West Pentire. The rocky sides are not too high, and the light grey slate scalloped by the sea into lovely strange curves and swirls with a little more privacy than many other beaches, and the gently shelving sand mean lots of beach room. It is a longish walk from the nearest car park, but you are rewarded with fantastic views of the cove on your approach. Today I interrupted two rabbits and a rook having a serious discussion on the path, as well as startling ta lark from her hiding as I took a shortcut through the long grass.

Porthcurnick

This lovely sandy cove is tucked away just by Rosevine hamlet in the Roseland peninsula, or you can easily walk the short way along the coast path from Portscatho. Today the sun takes the edge off the cold wind, and the beach is mostly sheltered from the north-easterlies. In summer it has its share of visitors, many coming from yachts that anchor off the beach for a picnick. But on days like today you can still stop and linger, quietly sharing the beach, rthe sun and the empty sea with a few others.

Mawgan Porth

Mawgan Porth is just a few miles along the coast east of Watergate Bay. Not overly wide, it is however quite deep when the water is out, and it has plenty of facilities for holidaymakers close by. Today, the 400 metres or so to the water's edge is maybe the hardest walk I can remember doing, the relentless gale force winds make it almost impossible to keep my feet and the driving sleet, rain and hail against my exposed face sting painfully. Even the gulls swirl madly about overhead, struggling to keep station against the violent gusts. At low tide, the cove opens out to some lovely sandy bits on the left, strewn with lumps of large rock, if you can wade across the shallow stream that ends here...

St. Mawes

The weather and the light are very freaky today - intermittent gale force winds, sleet, hail and rain - all mixed with sun, blue skies (and rainbows, of course). By the time there is anything like settled light, the shingle beach here has pretty well disappeared under the rising tide. When you arrive here, it is not difficult to see why St. Mawes is home to several large, private seaside homes scattered around this coastline and possibly one of the finest country hotels in the UK - it is far from the madding crowd across the water, has lots of good deep-water yacht moorings, and after a day's sailing you can just watch the stupendous views of the Carrick Roads at sunset, when for some strange reason the wind and water here always seem to still...

Loe

Loe (not to be confused with Looe further east) is a small shingle beach in the Carrick Roads, the stretch of sheltered water on the south coast that forms a beautiful natural deep harbour, perfect for all sorts of water activities, and into which five (?) rivers flow.
Loe is not great for walking, sitting around or beachcombing, but it is a great place from which to launch your canoe or dinghy, and in season the water off here is littered with small craft swinging from their moorings. But today you can enjoy the calm view of the Carrick Roads, with glimpses of the open sea beyond in the gap between the Falmouth coast on the right and the Roseland peninsula on the left.

Carbis Bay

Carbis bay sits between Hayle and St. Ives. It's a large sandy cove, but it is not scalloped out of solid rock like the Newquay town beaches - here the coast slopes up a bit more gently, covered with gorse all in yellow flower at the moment, and scrubby trees. Altogether more genteel, the exclusive playground of those who can afford the houses overlooking St. Ives bay. Here the light seems always to be soft, bathing the sea and sky in rich translucent colours...

Tolcarne

Tolcarne is the third and most easterly of Newquay's town beaches. Today everything is clouded over before sundown, the water level cuts off the cove from the other beaches, and the beach is desrted except for one or two surfers in the water. But walking along the water's edge in the soft dying light, the view of Newquay's headland on one side, and that of the long line of coastal cliffs on the other, are good enough reasons just to be there

Charlestown (East)

At one time, this beach must have joined up with the one on the other side of Charlestown harbour, but now you have to walk all the way back up the road and back down the other side to reach one from the other, because the harbour company has for some time now closed off public access to the footbridge across the harbour lock. I'm not really sure why, except that they have always objected to people doing so. The east beach is quite different in both look and feel from the west beach - longer, backed by high cliffs, more private. In summeer, you can sit facing both sea and sun, and be sheltered from most winds except the south. An enexpectedly nice beach...

Portholland

The last couple of miles to Portholland are on a typically narrow and highsided Cornish lane, dropping down a dense wooded valley, making the little coastal hamlet seem very remote. You finally arrive at a tiny cove, which at low water only just has a bit of sand; otherwise you only get to stand on a high sea-wall with a steep boat ramp, and large boulders. But the group of houses and pub feel very beautifully secluded and peaceful here. Having got myself (and my camera equipment) soaked twice already this week, I take extra care to get to the water's edge, and on a clear day like today I'm rewarded with gently coloured skies at dusk...

Porthluney

Some people may think of this as Caerhayes, after the castle and little village nearby. The startlingly tall magnolia trees at Caerhayes are now already in bloom, standing out against the setting of imposing castle (folly?) and the dark trees behind. Today the sun is only just sometimes barely visible behind the clouds, and a silver grey light makes the sea and beach seem softly luminous.

Seaton

Not to be confused with Seaton in Devon, this one is just down the coast west of Downderry. I actually stopped by accident to visit this one yesterday, thinking for a moment it might be an extension of the latter. In fact, this Cornish Seaton is a kind of small valley set into the coast about seven miles east of Looe, an ideal spot for a mini holiday resort, which it seems to be. The cove beach is actually not very large, compared with the long stretch of coast that Downderry claims, but it is mostly sandy and so more suitable for kids to play on. The small river here moves quite fast as it enters the sea - it is interesting to watch how it fights against the incoming tide at one end of the beach, while at the other the more gently shelving sand becomes quickly engulfed. There are signs too that even at this end of the beach the cafe has ibeen fighting its own battle against the rising spring tides; a battle that the sea must win, in the end...

Downderry

Spring is here again, today. It is warm in the sun on the beach, and you can walk for miles and miles. Downderry is on the south coast almost on the border with Devon. Some of the slate is even tinged with the sort of red or pink that you get further along the coast towards Dawlish and beyond, but the long fringe of granite spines that reach into the sea seem very Cornish. It a strange beach - at first it is bordered by peoples' back gardens, complete with plastic gnomes, herons, goats and even eagles; but walking eastwards towards Devon you eventually get away from this, and find deserted greyish sandy beach backed by high cliffs. Not a brilliant day for photographs, but I do have some driftwood, not to mention a red slate rock....

Whipsiderry

You have to walk down a very long, steep and narrow set of steps to get to this little cove, which is the easternmost of Newquay's eight town beaches (I can't make them add up to nine!). With the tide fast coming in and the sun setting, it feels a little odd - claustrophobic, even. And my legs get absolutely drenched by the rising sea surging in unexpectedly. Mindful of the couple swept off the harbour wall in Mullion this week, I beat a discreet retreat up the steps. In the gathering gloom, an early hunting owl waves at me as I drive past...

Godrevy

Looking west, the sandy beach, strewn with granite rocks, stretches out towards Gwithian in the distance. If instead you turn around and face east, you would see Godrevy's famous lighthouse very close, standing on its own little island just off the coast. But today somehow the bright sun makes the lighthouse and the rocky shore seem a little ordinary. The sun bathes everything in a summer glow, the air is warm and I can hear a lark singing overhead, so for a brief while it's as if the season has turned; but the strong winds soon bring the clouds and the chill, so that by the time I leave, winter is back...

Great Western

Great Western is one of the string of coves that make up Newquay's town beaches - it is next to Towan, and at low tide they join up. Today, near high water, Towan, Great Western and Tolcarne are all individual ly scalloped out from the high cliffs, separated from each other by the broad sheets of white white surf. The light is cold with the sun hiding soft behind clouds, and it feels wintry.

Interlude: the Holywell dunes

Holywell is blessed and cursed with a long approach from the nearest car park, past tall clumps of reeds along the small river that you can ford barefooted in summer, over a bridge and back along the river again and then over or around the dunes till you reach the sea proper. If you are unencumbered by impatient children and just pause a while, you are rewarded with seeing your stunningly beautiful surroundings...

Holywell

It comes as a bit of a shock to find, as today, Holywell almost at high tide. There is almost no beach left, and the surf is wild. The river that gently wends its way through the dunes turns its last corner and is completely overwhelmed by the sea surge. The light changes constantly, the sun still barely forcing its way through gaps in the rain clouds.

Towan

Towan beach on the north coast is right next to the harbour in Newquay, by the aquarium. Once down on the beach, you look back or along the coast and begin to appreciate how much of Cornwall is on a plateau. Here the coastline is a long high rock cliff acalloped into a series of coves, each one with its sandy beach. Here, everything is on your doorstep - surfers can park in a town car park and walk a few yards to the long string of beaches, with Newquay's high street full of surf shops, cafes and nightclubs just there when you finish. Now in winter, it also makes for a fantastic beach stroll...

Sconhoe (Pentewan West)

This is where the Pentewan river ends on the south coast, after wending its narrow way along the valley from St. Austell. Today by 4 p.m. there is almost no beach left on this side of the river, except for one tiny stretch, but the sun has been shining and you still find lots of families out, as well as fishermen and, in the water, what look to be aspiring scuba divers doing initial training. Although the other side is much wider, I can't get to it easily now, as this is all private and the gate is locked, and the river blocks the beach approach. But since the main beach is lined with holiday caravans, it looks to be nicer on this side anyway...

p.s. I subsequently found out that "the other side" (i.e. what little is shown in the photo) actually refers to Sconhoe Beach - I tried again recently and was turned away at the gate; "this side" refers to the Pentewan Sands public beach, which I visit properly on 27 march, 2007)

Gwithian

Gwithian is another long, long sandy beach on the north coast. I stand at one end just across the river that ends here, still swollen and moving rapidly from the recent rains, but at the other end at low water you can probably walk on to Hayle beach. Isn't it strange that when people talk of Cornwall's holiday beaches they usually think of Newquay, Padstow and Rock when just a little further along the coast you get the long long sandy stretches of Perranporth and then Gwithian and Hayle...