Short answer: The best beaches near Redruth are Portreath (harbour, rock pools, car park by the sand), Porthtowan (surf, 4.7 from 1,450 Google reviews) and Chapel Porth (National Trust cove, small car park, cut off at high tide). Cornwall Council bans dogs in summer at all three, from different dates.
Redruth sits a few miles inland, so the best beaches near Redruth are all on the north coast, and each one has a different catch. Portreath has a harbour, rock pools and a car park by the sand, but dogs are banned in July and August. Porthtowan is the surf beach. Chapel Porth is the most dramatic, but it shrinks to a strip at high tide and its car park fills early. This guide helps you pick one by what you want to do, then tells you what the car park will cost and who to bring.
Yes, particularly if you like a place with things to do around the sand. Portreath Harbour has 4.6 from 208 Google reviews. Reviewers describe a large beach with rock pools and a small sea pool to the right at low tide, and, to the left, a walk through a cave to old baths cut into the rock. Take care at high tide: a reviewer warns about the lookout point by the white hut and about dangerous winds in bad weather.
The Portreath Car Park on the sea front is a tarmac car park a few steps from the sand (4.2 from 447 Google reviews). Take a ticket on entry, pay at the machine and scan the ticket at the barrier. Reviewers say payment is by cash or card and the price varies with the season. Check the price on the board before you leave the car.
The Atlantic Cafe Bar (4.4 from 1,306 Google reviews) does fish and chips and homemade cake; reviewers like the setting, but one reported a high bill for a family of five and another a poor meal. Pod Cafe Portreath (4.4 from 604) has a terrace and a log burner, though service reviews are mixed. The Waterfront is a refurbished pub overlooking the beach (4.1 from 271), with a terrace one reviewer calls a good place to watch waves on spring tides.
Dogs are banned from Portreath Beach, including the harbour, 1 July to 31 August, 10am to 6pm, according to Cornwall Council. See our dog-friendly Redruth guide for the other rules.
Porthtowan Beach has 4.7 from 1,450 Google reviews. Reviewers describe a wide sandy bay between cliffs and dunes, consistent waves that bring surfers, and a beach that opens up hugely at low tide while high tide pushes the sea almost to the back. One mentions lifeguards. Another says the shoreline is rocky in places and parking is limited, and that ice cream is expensive. The sunsets get a mention more than once.
The council car park is the main one for the beach. Our Redruth parking guide says charges are lifted over winter, but check the machine and the signs on the day, as tariffs change.
Beach Cafe Porthtowan (4.7 from 422 Google reviews) serves breakfast, roasts at times and pies, and reviewers praise the staff and say dogs are welcome. A reviewer also mentions a Friday night supper, so ask about evening opening. Dogs are banned on the beach itself from 15 May to 30 September, 10am to 6pm.
Chapel Porth Beach (4.8 from 929 Google reviews) is a National Trust cove reached by a steep, narrow single-track road with a few passing places. The car park is small and fills quickly, and reviewers recommend arriving early. A reviewer says it is pay and display, free to National Trust members, and free with a blue badge. The beach is cut off at high tide, leaving a tiny strip, so check tide times before you go. Reviewers praise the cafe by the car park, and its Hedgehog ice cream gets a mention. Dogs are banned 1 July to 31 August, 10am to 6pm.
The coast path leads east to St Agnes Head and west to Porthtowan. You can also start at the National Trust Wheal Coates car park and walk the coast path towards the cove. For more on St Agnes and Perranporth, see our Perranporth and St Agnes beaches guide.
Portreath's car park is tarmac and sits a few steps from the sand, which is the easiest start. Chapel Porth's road is steep and its beach access rocky, so it is the hardest. Our Redruth access guide covers the town as well.
All three do, but the dates differ, and Cornwall Council's dogs-on-beaches list is the source to trust. Portreath, including the harbour, bans dogs from 1 July to 31 August, 10am to 6pm. Chapel Porth has the same dates and hours. Porthtowan has a longer ban, from 15 May to 30 September, again 10am to 6pm. Outside those dates dogs are allowed, so Porthtowan and Portreath work well for a winter walk with a dog, and a cafe stop afterwards is easy at both. Our dog-friendly Redruth guide has the cafes and inland walks.
Head back inland: the engine houses and trails on our Redruth mining walks page are free. Or see the Redruth rainy day guide. For the rest of the area, start at the Redruth page.
Portreath and Porthtowan are the nearest north-coast beaches, a short drive from Redruth.
Our parking guide says the council car park is free over winter, but check the machine and signs, as tariffs change.
It is a small National Trust car park, pay and display, free to members and blue badge holders according to a reviewer. The lane is steep and narrow and the car park fills early.
Not between 1 July and 31 August, 10am to 6pm, per Cornwall Council. Porthtowan is closed to dogs 15 May to 30 September, and Chapel Porth 1 July to 31 August, same hours.
According to reviewers, yes: high tide leaves only a tiny strip of beach, so check tide times before you go.
Times, prices and dates are the businesses' and organisers' to change, so check before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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