Bringing the fun at Porth
From a Tardis of family fun to beachside souvenirs, there’s activities, refreshment and seaside shopping on hand for fun-filled days at Porth.
When the first passenger train rolled into Newquay in June 1876, the villagers of Porth set about turning their homes into boarding houses to welcome holidaymakers. This little beach resort has grown up hand-in-hand with its nearby and popular neighbour.
But don’t be fooled into thinking of Porth as an extension of Cornwall’s surfing capital; this sheltered cove is a very different destination. A beach with its own distinctive character and community.
“These days, while the surfers flock to surrounding beaches, this narrow funnel of sand lures the families, swimmers and paddleboarders seeking refuge from the waves.”
Image credit: Hayley Lawrence
HEED THE HEADLANDS
Twin headlands protect Porth from the brunt of the very Atlantic swells that have made Newquay famous. And these calmer sea conditions have shaped its past and present.
Once a small port for importing coal, salt and other cargo, Porth also posed as a shipbuilders’ beach and pilchard fishery. These days, while the surfers flock to surrounding beaches, this narrow funnel of sand lures the families, swimmers and paddleboarders seeking refuge from the waves.
Whether you fancy a dip or a day on the beach, Porth is a breeze to get to; just 25 minutes’ walk from Newquay train station, with a bus stop, car park and Beryl e-bike park metres from the sand. Cue families looking for easy beach access when they’re piled high with picnics and paddleboards, and pit-stoppers hopping on and off the Atlantic Coaster bus to dip their toes in the ocean or have a cream tea by the shore.
Image credit: Hayley Lawrence
“We try to offer something for the whole family. As well as the football golf and crazy golf, this summer we’re planning a bucking bronco, outdoor cinema screenings and an al fresco cocktail bar.”
HATCH AN ACTIVITY PLAN
On this bucket and spade beach, there’s no shortage of cafés and kiosks touting a giddy array of Cornish ice cream flavours – from the Hole in the Wall to Coast Café.
On the edge of Porth Island, the Jampen looks much like another ice cream hatch from the beach below, but in fact it’s a Tardis of family seaside fun, from football golf and outdoor games, to all-day breakfasts and beach hut hire. “We try to offer something for the whole family,” explains owner Julie White. “As well as the football golf and crazy golf, this summer we’re planning a bucking bronco, outdoor cinema screenings and an al fresco cocktail bar.”
Image credit: Hayley Lawrence
Help yourself to the skipping ropes and beach toys from outside the Jampen, but if you’re looking for a paddleboard or wetsuit, you’ll need to hop into Newquay. Keen to have a splash in the gentle waves, we rode Beryl bikes into town to borrow bellyboards from Dick Pearce HQ. Free to use, these traditional wooden boards are a much more sustainable option than polystyrene bodyboards, which can end up snapped or dumped in the bin after a day at the beach.
“One of the main reasons I first got involved with making bellyboards – apart from riding them as a kid and knowing how fun it is – was that I wanted to offer a sustainable alternative to disposable boards.”
Seeing so many of Newquay’s beach bins overflowing with broken bodyboards inspired Jamie Johnstone, at Dick Pearce, to launch his Surf Wood for Good campaign, supplying local shops with bellyboards that beachgoers could use free of charge.
Image credit: Hayley Lawrence
“One of the main reasons I first got involved with making bellyboards – apart from riding them as a kid and knowing how fun it is – was that I wanted to offer a sustainable alternative to disposable boards,” said Jamie. “Now Dick Pearce has teamed up with shops in coastal locations across the UK (including Newquay and Watergate Bay), where holidaymakers and locals can come and borrow the boards as often as they want.”
SOUVENIRS AND SUNDAY ROASTS
Once you’ve got the hang of it, zooming along the whitewater on a bellyboard, you’ll be happily making long-lasting holiday memories. Porth’s only shop, Roo’s Beach, has recently opened a new store, Sunnyside, where you can pick-up a souvenir to remember Porth by too.
“We wanted to offer something for the holidaymakers at an affordable price point, to remind them of their holiday in Porth,” owner Roo Cross told us. “Things you need for the beach, kids’ pocket money toys and postcards.”
Image credit: Hayley Lawrence
Sunnyside’s sister shop and coffee hut, Roo’s Beach, is a destination for “locals and visitors all year-round, offering fashion, plants, gifts and homeware,” Roo adds. On wilder, wetter days through the year sea swimmers and dog walkers drop by for coffee and cake.
Just over the road, The Mermaid Inn rolls out Sunday roasts, live music and quiz nights throughout the year, for beachside nourishment and entertainment. On this summer’s day, parents watch children build sandcastles from the Mermaid Inn deck, while Atlantic Coaster passengers pause for crab sandwiches and cream teas.
In these calmer waters on the north coast, make the most of the community helping create fun-filled beach days, from whitewater rides to clifftop crazy golf, served with classic seaside cuisine.
CLASSIC BEACH DAYS AT PORTH
Ice-cream smiles, the bucket and spade brigade, bellyboarding joy, and mid-afternoon cream teas, Porth Beach makes for classic beach days for all ages.
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Porth local Lucy Thomasson, Revenue and Reservations Manager at Beach Retreats, on what’s waiting to be discovered down at Porth Beach.
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