Porthkidney Sands / Lelant Beach

Article By: Dan Hill

4 years ago

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Nature-Beach Nature-Estuary Nature-Ocean

Porthkidney Sands is a north facing and long beach accessed from the village of Lelant, near St. Ives in west Cornwall. It is a favourite setting for many paintings - including several of the most famous and much loved works of the artist John Miller - who passed away in 2002. I love this beach - there are great views along the Hayle Towans (3 miles of golden sands), a view toward Godrevy lighthouse in the distance, Hayle River estuary on the right (popular with bird watchers), a long array of sand dunes behind, and granite cliffs to the left. The tide goes out a very long way! There are a couple of access points to the beach - the easiest to describe being to park near St. Uny's Church in Lelant, and then walk to the left of the church along a public footpath. The footpath soon crosses the land of West Cornwall Golf Club - take head to follow any safety advice (basically, stay on the path until you reach the beach). At the end of the path across the golf course, you can choose to continue straight, underneath a small railway bridge and down some steps to reach the side of the estuary. Turn left here to head to the main beach. Alternatively, you can turn left instead of going under the bridge, and walk along the side of the golf course on the marked path. You will soon reach an iron railway bridge with a path to cross it on your right. Head along this path into the sand dunes, pass the lifeguard hut, and down to the beach. This route may require some scrambling down the dunes! The beach is dramatically different at each state of the tide. At low tide, it can be quite a long walk to the sea itself. You can bring your dogs on the beach all year - and indeed this accounts for the popularity of the beach with dog owners. But don't worry - this is a very large beach! The beach is mainly popular with walkers - most beach dwellers use the beaches of nearby St. Ives - so this could be a good spot if you fancy some relative peace and quiet.