Pentewan
Half a mile of white sand that the mines made by accident, and a forest trail that starts at the other end of it.
Nobody built this beach — the mines did, by accident, washing their spoil down the river until the old port silted up and half a mile of sand stood where boats used to tie. We ran cargo off it on a dark night before the trippers ever found it.
The beach
An expansive white sand beach about half a mile long, held between two cliffs that shelter it. It is mostly flat, so it is far larger at low tide, and it is very clean.
What makes Pentewan unusual is having a good beach and a good forest trail right next to one another. King's Wood behind it is owned collectively by the people of St Austell.
An accidental beach
In the 1800s Sir Christopher Hawkins developed the harbour into a major port, linked by rail to the mines — coal in, china clay out. That harbour is the one still visible.
The sand that makes the beach is the same sand that silted the harbour up: carried down the river as a by-product of mining. Pentewan Sands is an artificial beach nobody meant to build.
There was a pilchard fishing community in the valley with a harbour from medieval times, and the fishing went on for centuries. In the late 1700s tin was mined here, and Pentewan stone went into St Austell church and Antony House.
Facilities
The beach is inseparable from the campsite on it, which means the facilities are good. There are toilets on the site, a burger and hot dog bar on the waterfront, and the Seahorse Centre — two floors, two pools, a jacuzzi and a flume downstairs, a restaurant upstairs and a children's play area. One pool is heated, the other kept cooler.
There is a small shop on site. Three car parks serve the village; two of them charge.
In the village itself there is a quaint old square with the water pump still standing, and a harbourside pub with a beer garden looking over the bird sanctuary that the old harbour has become.
The valley trail
The Pentewan Valley Trail runs through King's Wood along the old railway line and the river, with cycle hire by the bridge. There are narrower off-piste trails through the woods as well.
Before you go
There are no lifeguards, but there are lifebuoys and an emergency telephone on the beach.
There is a seasonal dog ban from 1 March to 1 November. The beach is privately owned, so check the current rules with the site.
Access from the car park to the beach is level and easy.
A self-catering cottage in St Austell Bay with sea views, a large garden and parking, close to the beach and the coast path. Book direct with the owner.
Book direct with the ownerMevagissey Harbour — a guide to the village, the bay and the people who worked it.