• Beaches

    St Ives Beaches

    St Ives has eight beaches, all within walking distance from the town centre: Porthmeor a surfing beach, Porthgwidden a small sandy cove, popular for paddling and bathing, Bamaluz a sheltered cove but is very tide dependent, Harbour by the working port, Lambeth the entrance is a little rocky and is very tide dependent and Porthminster which has almost half a mile of sand popular with families. You also have Carbis Bay and Porth Kidney which you can walk to whilst on the South West Coast Path. There is a seasonal dog ban on beaches and further information is detailed below.

    Porthmeor

    Porthmeor beach is situated by the Tate St Ives gallery and is well known for the surf. There are on-site restaurants, beach huts and a surf school. This beach also has RNLI lifeguards during the summer season. 

    Porthgwidden

    Porthgwidden beach is a favourite amongst families, with its sheltered golden sands.

    Bamaluz

    Bamaluz beach is situated between the harbour and Porthgwidden beach. The beach itself is fairly sheltered from all but an onshore breeze but the high walls can also block out some of the sun. At high tide, the beach is also greatly reduced in size and can almost disappear on a spring tide.

    This beach is dog-friendly all year round.

    The harbour

    The picturesque harbour of St Ives is the main draw for visitors to the town. It consists of a south-facing swathe of golden sand bound by three granite quays- New Pier, Smeaton's Pier and West Pier and a busy promenade known as The Wharf and Lambeth Walk on the Porthminster side. The harbour provides shelter for fishing and pleasure boats and there is an impressive Lifeboat house on the West Pier.

    Lambeth

    Lambeth Walk beach is right in front of Westcotts Quay, you can also watch our live HD webcam. Or why not do one better and actually stay beside Lambeth Walk, at Lambeth? At low tide, the beach joins up with the harbour beach and at really low tides you can walk around to the neighbouring Porthminster beach.

    This beach is dog-friendly all year round.

    Porthminster

    Located by the St Ives railway station and a very short walk from the centre of St Ives, this beach is a family favourite for safe swimming, stand up paddleboarding and kayaking. This beach also benefits from an onsite restaurant, pitch and put and a lifeguard provided by RNLI. (The lifeguards are there during the summer season).

    Carbis Bay

    Carbis Bay beach is privately owned by the hotel and is situated just a mile out of the town centre. Approximately a mile long, the beach is surrounded by sub-tropical plants and lapped by turquoise waters. This beach is ideal for families. There is an onsite watersports centre and the beach is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards, during the summer season.

    Porth Kidney beach

    Porth Kidney sands is a north facing beach at the mouth of the Hayle Estuary. This beach is just two miles from the town centre and is dog-friendly all year round. At low tide, the beach can stretch almost a mile out to sea.

    Please note, that there are no facilities available at this beach.

    Dogs on beaches

    In 2019, Cornwall Council ran a consultation regarding the seasonal dog bans. The restrictions have been relaxed but the Public Space Protection Orders will be reviewed annually.

    In overview the seasonal dog restrictions on the beaches are:

    Harmonised restrictions from 1 July to 31 August (two months) between 10:00 to 18:00 hours daily

    Except where a beach has Blue Flag status in place, when restrictions will apply for longer, from 15 May to 30 September (four and a half months) between 10:00 to 18:00.