Polzeath Beach | Cornwall Beach Guide

Welcome to our Polzeath Beach guide! We’re going to tell you all you need to know about one of North Cornwall’s best beaches.

The village of Polzeath sits in the crux of Hayle Bay in North Cornwall, between two coastal hills, Pentire Head and Highcliffe.

Divided into old and new, the village has no high street, just a collection of shops, restaurants and pubs.

The beach draws people from all over Cornwall and the UK to enjoy the slow-breaking, consistent waves.

Read on to have all your questions about Polzeath Beach answered below…

Looking for something specific? Skip ahead to a different section:

1. Location
2. Beach Access
3. Type of Beach
4. Blue Flag Status
5. Toilets
6. Parking
7. Accessibility
8. Dog-friendly
9. Barbeques
10. Surfing
11. Watersports
12. Tides and surf
13. Accommodation

Where is Polzeath Beach?

Polzeath Beach post code: PL27 6TD

Is Polzeath Beach a public beach?

Yes, the beach is owned by Cornwall Council so it is free to access and use.

Is Polzeath Beach sandy?

Yes, Polzeath Beach is sandy and very large at low tide, stretching around a ¼ mile.

Is Polzeath Beach a Blue Flag beach?

Yes, Polzeath Beach has Blue Flag award status.

A Blue Flag award is given to beaches which comply with a number of important criteria, including some of the below:

• First aid equipment is available on the beach
• No waste-water or sewage-related discharges affect the beach area
• Beach must achieve ‘excellent’ water quality rating
• Beach must be clean
• Safety measures must be in place to protect beach users

Are there toilets at Polzeath Beach?

There are public toilets across the road from the beach car parks.

Where can I park at Polzeath Beach?

There’s quite a few options for parking. Firstly, you can actually park on the beach in a small car park.

There is another small car park close to the beach, and two larger field car parks, one on the approach to Polzeath and one above the cliffs.

There’s also another car park in New Polzeath.

Is Polzeath Beach accessible?

Yes, the beach is accessible via level access by the on-beach car park. Sand chairs are available to hire in Polzeath too. Contact Wavehunters for more information.

Is Polzeath Beach dog-friendly?

Yes and no! Polzeath Beach is dog-friendly with some restrictions in place during the peak summer season.

Dog ban in place from 15 May – 30 September from 10am – 6pm.

Look at Cornwall Council for full dog restriction information for all of Cornwall’s beaches.

Are BBQs allowed on Polzeath Beach?

Yes, on all council owned beaches, disposable barbeques are allowed. However gas barbeques are not permitted to use.

If you are looking for places to eat around Polzeath Beach. Check out our guide to Polzeath restaurants for recommendations.

Is Polzeath Beach good for surfing?

Polzeath Beach is undoubtedly one of Cornwall’s best surfing beaches.

As with several of the great Cornish surfing beaches, Polzeath Beach is situated on the northern coast of Cornwall. This means enjoying the powerful Atlantic breakers that come with the location.

Beginners and pros alike will love this beach. There’s space enough for the more experienced to get away from learners and find their own space. But there’s also lots of uncrowded peaks for stand-up paddle boarding and long-boarders.

Is there surfboard hire at Polzeath Beach?

Below is a list of providers offering surfboard hire, wetsuit hire among other watersports equipment:

• Wavehunters Surf School
• TJ’s Surf Shop

Surfing lessons at Polzeath Beach

Below is a list of providers offering surfing lessons, with links to their websites:

• George’s Surf School
• Wavehunters Surf School
• Surf’s Up Surf School
• Era Adventures

Is Polzeath Beach good for bodyboarding?

Polzeath Beach is very popular with surfers, but if you’re looking to bodyboard or just swim, head around the corner to Little Polzeath.

Little Polzeath is a small beach just next to Polzeath Beach which you might find a bit quieter.

What time is high tide in Polzeath?

Find the tide times and forecasts for Polzeath Beach below:

How big are the waves at Polzeath Beach?

Forecasts usually predict waves to be anywhere up to 10 feet, with the best waves coming in the end of summer, autumn and winter months.

Want to feel inspired about taking on the big waves at Polzeath Beach, check out our Polzeath Beach live cam to check out the Atlantic ocean and the surfing conditions.

Accommodation near Polzeath Beach

At John Bray Cornish Holidays, we are proud to offer beautiful cottages and properties just a stone’s throw from the beach.

We’ve put a spotlight on two excellent properties below, but be sure to browse the full range of cottages in Polzeath via the link below.

Kellan (Ref. 1080461)

Sleeps 8 | Bedrooms 4 | Pet-friendly

Point Break (Ref. 1080584)

Sleeps 10 | Bedrooms 5 | No Pets

Browse cottages in Polzeath

Why not take your next adventure to Polzeath Beach in Cornwall. Take a look at a collection of Polzeath holiday cottages for inspiration on your next staycation.

(Andrew Bone – CC BY 2.0); (Hannah Hawke – CC BY-SA 2.0); (Robert Pittman – CC BY-ND 2.0); (Kev Bow – CC BY 2.0); (Kev Bow – CC BY 2.0)