Family Beaches in Cornwall
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The family beaches in Cornwall are Bessys Cove, Plaidy Beach, Lansallos Beach, Porthchapel Beach, Leggan Cove, Shag Rock Beach, Priest Cove and Vault Beach.
Cornwall is made for family days by the sea, and beyond the big, busy resorts lie plenty of smaller coves where children can explore in peace. Rock pools to peer into, soft sand to dig and gentle water to paddle in are what many families are after, and several of the beaches here offer just that, though a few reward a steeper walk or a rock scramble to reach them.
It is worth reading how each one is reached before you set out with little ones and buckets in tow. This roundup travels around the county, from the smugglers' coast near Praa Sands and the sheltered beaches around Looe to the far-western sands near the Minack Theatre, the Lizard peninsula and the wild Atlantic shore at Cape Cornwall.
You will meet Bessy's Cove, Plaidy and Lansallos, Porthchapel and Leggan, Shag Rock, Priest Cove and Vault Beach. Each has its own character and quiet charm.
Here are eight family beaches to seek out in Cornwall.
Bessys Cove
Photo: Mari Buckley via Geograph.org.uk
Bessys Cove is a small rocky cove with a tiny old harbour, one of the group of inlets known together as Prussia Cove, on the south Cornwall coast between Perranuthnoe and Praa Sands. A thatched fisherman's hut stands above the water, and channels and cart tracks cut into the rock survive from its fishing and smuggling days.
The cove is tied to the Carter family, 18th-century smugglers whose leader John Carter was nicknamed the King of Prussia. It is reached by a short walk down from a small free car park, with a bit of a rock scramble, and there are no facilities; people swim and snorkel here on calm days.
Plaidy Beach
Photo: Trevor Rickard via Geograph.org.uk
Plaidy Beach is a small cove of soft grey sand and rock pools on the eastern edge of Looe in south-east Cornwall. A slipway leads down to it, and with no facilities on the sand it stays quiet, tucked between East Looe a short walk to the west and Millendreath beach just to the east.
Rocks and pools are uncovered at low tide, good for a rummage with the children. The novelist who wrote as Jean Plaidy is said to have taken the name from this beach.
Easy to reach by its slipway, it makes a gentle, low-key family spot near the town.
Lansallos Beach
Photo: Maurice D Budden via Geograph.org.uk
Lansallos Beach is a quiet cove of sand and shingle reached down a wooded valley from the tiny hamlet of Lansallos, on the Cornish coast between Polperro and Polruan. The walk down follows a track for about half a mile from the National Trust car park by the old church.
One curiosity along the way is a cart track cut straight through a slate outcrop, its surface still grooved with the ruts worn by wheels carrying goods up from the shore. The village and church go back to medieval times, and the beach is looked after by the National Trust, with no facilities on the sand.
Porthchapel Beach
Photo: Ashley Dace via Geograph.org.uk
Porthchapel Beach is a small, quiet cove of pale shell sand and turquoise water below granite cliffs on the far south-west coast of Cornwall, near St Levan and just below the open-air Minack Theatre. It stays quieter than neighbouring Porthcurno because the way down is a steep, narrow path with steps from a small car park by St Levan's church.
There are no facilities and no lifeguards, and it is a spot for swimming, snorkelling and rock-pooling, with seals and dolphins sometimes seen offshore. St Levan's holy well sits above the beach.
A lovely cove for older, surer-footed families happy with the climb.
Leggan Cove
Photo: Rod Allday via Geograph.org.uk
Leggan Cove is a little-known cove on the eastern side of the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, near the village of St Keverne. The beach is coarse grey sand backed by grassy cliffs, with rock pools at low water and unusually clear blue sea that draws snorkellers and divers.
It sits beside Godrevy Cove, the two separated by a rocky point, and about a mile offshore lie the Manacles, a reef long known to sailors. There is no road down: limited parking at Rosenithon leads to a footpath across fields and down to the coast, with no facilities at the shore.
Shag Rock Beach
Photo: Derek Harper via Geograph.org.uk
Shag Rock Beach takes its name from a rocky outcrop at the eastern end of the beach at Downderry, on the south coast of Cornwall between Seaton and Portwrinkle, where shags perch to dry their wings. The beach itself is grey sand and shingle backed by cliffs, with rock pools uncovered at low tide.
It is a quieter, family-friendly stretch of coast, with a pub on the seafront behind, made more for a walk, a paddle and rock-pooling than for a busy resort day. A relaxed, unhurried spot for a family outing on this stretch of the south coast.
Priest Cove
Photo: Shaun Ferguson via Geograph.org.uk
Priest Cove is a small, wild, rocky cove tucked under the headland of Cape Cornwall near St Just, in the far west of the county, facing the full force of the Atlantic. It keeps a working character, with a slipway and winch, fishermen's huts and small boats drawn up above the rocks, and a half-natural tidal swimming pool among the rocks that fills as the tide falls.
Out to sea stand the Brisons, a pair of rocks, and the whole cape is National Trust land within the Cornish mining World Heritage Site. Helpfully for families, there is a cafe and toilets at the car park above.
Vault Beach
Photo: Gareth James via Geograph.org.uk
Vault Beach is a long, steeply shelving beach of shingle and sand that curves south-west from Gorran Haven toward Dodman Point on Cornwall's south coast. Facing south-east, it is reached only on foot by steep paths down from the Lamledra car park or from Gorran Haven, with no facilities on the sand.
The surrounding cliffs and headland are National Trust land, though the beach itself is not. Being steeply shelving and hard to reach, it suits families with older children able to manage the climb rather than those with toddlers and pushchairs.
The far southern end is a known naturist stretch.
FAQs
Which of these Cornwall beaches is best for rock pools?
Plaidy Beach at Looe, Shag Rock at Downderry and Leggan Cove on the Lizard all uncover rock pools at low tide, so any of them makes a good rock-pooling day for families in Cornwall.
Are all these family beaches easy to reach?
No. Plaidy has an easy slipway, but Porthchapel, Vault Beach and others in Cornwall involve steep paths and steps, so they suit families with older children rather than toddlers in pushchairs.
Is there anywhere to swim safely with children?
Priest Cove, under Cape Cornwall, has a half-natural tidal pool that fills as the tide falls, while Bessy's Cove is a spot where people swim on calm days, though neither Cornwall cove has lifeguards.
Conclusion
From the rock pools of Plaidy and Shag Rock to the tidal swimming pool at Priest Cove and the sheltered sands of Bessy's Cove, Cornwall has quiet beaches to suit all sorts of family days. Some, like Plaidy and Shag Rock near Looe and Downderry, are gentle and easy to reach; others, such as Porthchapel, Leggan and Vault Beach, ask for a steeper walk and better suit older children who can manage the descent.
Always check the tide, as several of these coves shrink as the water rises, and keep an eye on youngsters where there are no lifeguards. Pack buckets, a picnic and stout footwear, and pick the cove that matches your crew.
From Cape Cornwall to the Lizard and the south coast near Looe, these are the family beaches to seek out in Cornwall.
