Polstreath Beach is a real gem, with clear turquoise water, steep headlands that reminded us of a world famous beach in Bali and none of the crowds you’ll find on many of Cornwall’s more well known beaches.
So what’s the catch?
Well it is more pebbly than it is sandy, but one look at that spectacular water and you couldn’t possibly be disappointed. Oh and there is a fair few stairs to climb on the way back up, but more on that later.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting.
The walk to Polstreath Beach
The stats
Distance: 350m each way via quickest route, or 800m from Mevagissey village (one way)
Elevation gain: 100m if coming from the village
Difficulty: Easy - moderate, lots of stairs
Trailhead: River Street Car Park, Mevagissey
Summary: How long the walk will be depends on whether you can snag one of the coveted parking spots on Beach Road, close to the park, just before the stairs down to the beach.
If you can it will knock around 450m off the walk to the beach. If not, you will need to park in the village and this means you’ll have to climb up to the park and back up from the beach as well, so there’s a fair amount of incline involved.
However, the paths are in very good condition, so it’s really only about the puff factor, there is no difficult terrain to worry about.
The walk
We’ll start these notes from the village, if you can park at the nearer point to the stairs down to the beach (on Beach Road) you can skip over this first section.
From the car park in Mevagissey (full parking details below) you need to head through the little village to the harbour and then take the walkway on the northernside (left as you look to the harbour) that leads uphill beside some houses (you can see the path in the photo below).
You’ll immediately begin heading uphill on a paved slope with some lovely views out over the harbour and back to the village.
The path takes a left turn and heads up some stairs leading to the top of the hill.
You’ll soon come to a green and behind the grass is where you can find the nearer parking if it’s available (on Beach Road on your left).
Cross the grass to the northern end of the green where the trail continues.
You continue along the path which is now flat as it heads past the green and into some small laneways. You get the occasional glimpse out to the sparkling blue sea and one of the picturesque headlands below.
After 90m walking along the paved laneway you will see a signposted right hand turn to the beach (on the signpost it simply says ‘Kedhlow Treth’). From here you will begin the descent.
At first you’re in a little bit of woodland which is very pretty and the stairs are in decent condition.
After 100m you will reach the steep metal staircases (which have handrails on both sides) and this is the most spectacular part of the walk.
The view is straight down the staircase to the dramatic headland, fern covered cliffside and out to the two tone blue water.
It’s part turquoise, part indigo and descending the staircase is a real wow factor moment.
The stairs only last for 80m, but they are steep, so if you’re not used to uphill walking you may find them a little tiring on the way back up.
But it’s worth bearing in mind the terrain is good and you can take as long as you like, so don’t be deterred.
Swimming at Polstreath Beach
The swimming at Polstreath is glorious. The water is calm and sheltered making it possible to have long leisurely swims without too much effort in the way you do if batting the waves.
We visited on a mid-tide and this was great, there may be a lot less beach to enjoy at high tide, though we haven’t seen it for ourselves at this time.
We usually try and avoid visiting Cornish beaches within a couple of hours either side of high tide unless we know for certain there is still a decent amount of sand left to enjoy.
However, if you’re more looking to swim than laze, then it probably doesn’t matter too much at Polstreath.
As mentioned, the beach is not especially sandy, it’s more pebbly, but it’s still a bit of a mix, so it’s nothing like Brighton for example.
It’s comfortable to walk on and the water is shallow for a relative distance out from the beach, so there’s room to laze around in the shallows if you don’t want to swim too much.
You can head through the gap in the cliffs which leads into the next cove along too which is fun. For me this was a swim through, but it may be possible to walk at low tide.
The next beach is much smaller, but there was no one on it at all during our visit and it has a nice hidden away vibe.
The current in the water was much stronger here though, so that’s something to be mindful of if you’re not used to sea swimming. It wasn’t difficult to swim in, but it wasn’t really calm like the main beach.
The main beach was almost empty on our visit too, so we swam close to the staircase, but as it’s huge, if you do arrive and it’s a bit busier, you could head much further down the beach and it would probably get much quieter.
The water is cool, but not freezing in summer, however, I did see some people in wetsuits, so you may not agree with me….
When you’re ready to leave the beach you simply retrace your steps back to the car park. There are a couple of hundred steps to climb, but it doesn’t take long.
It’s worth allowing a little time for a potter around the cute village before you leave.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Parking for Polstreath Beach
The closest car parking, beside the little green, is on Beach Road, postcode PL26 6TF, you can see it here on Google maps. Alternatively you can park in the River Street car park, postcode PL26 6UE, you can see it on Google maps here.
The charges are a bit more reasonable here than most of Cornwall, between 9am and 4pm you will pay £1.10 for one hour, £2.10 for 2 hours and £3.20 for 3 hours (the max stay is 3 hours).
If it’s full, no car park in the village is too far away, so grab whatever space you can and make your way towards the harbour.
Mevagissey is located around 40 minutes from Newquay and Falmouth and 30 minutes from Padstow.
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