Beaches near St Austell

Map featuring St Austell beaches. Click on pins to view beach details

Looking for a beach near me? The Cornwall Beaches guide has 7 listed in and close to St Austell to choose from. We've put the beaches in order of nearest first, but none are more than a few miles from St Austell.

  • Porthpean is probably the best of St Austell's beaches, although a little on the small side. Backed by steep tree-topped cliffs and with clear, azure water this sandy beach can have a feel of the Mediterranean on the right day.Being relatively sheltered and easy to get to Porthpean beach is popular with families. During the…

  • This private beach remains relatively quiet right throughout the year despite its proximity to St Austell, about two miles away. Backed by low cliffs covered in Cornish plants and shrubs, it appears out of otherwise rocky coastline and stretches for a couple of hundred metres in length.Comprising a mix of sand and pebbles, low tide…

  • Shingle beach with area of pebbles and some geological interest. There are a number of small caves in the cliffs but beware of rock falls. The beach is divided into two by the harbour. The bigger and better side is located east of the harbour whilst the other side offers some interesting rock formations to investigate.Nearby…

  • A large stretch of near-white sand, Pentewan Sands is located between St Austell and the fishing village of Mevagissey. The beach is actually privately owned by the Pentewan Sands Holiday Park that sits just behind. This isn't really an issue though as the beach is open to the public. In fact what it does mean…

  • Set at the heart of St Austell Bay, Carlyon Bay is a stretch of almost 2 miles of coarse sand. Actually it isn't really sand but "stent", a mixture of waste from the tin and china clay industries - if you look closely you will see it is made up of large grains of grey…

  • Located about a quarter of a mile up the coast from the working harbour of Mevagissey is Polstreath beach. Despite its proximity to this busy fishing village Polstreath remains relatively quiet. This is in part due to the difficulty in accessing the beach which involves walking along the South West Coast Path and descending around…

  • Located at the far end of Carlyon Bay, Polgaver was the first official nudist beach in Cornwall, inaugurated in 1971. Whilst it used to be one of the most popular naturist spots in the area, the recent controversial development of Carlyon Bay seem to have put pay to this.


St Austell Beaches Video