Photography Beaches in Cornwall
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The photography beaches in Cornwall are Rinsey Cove, Trevone Bay, Porthbean Beach, Tregardock Beach, Bedruthan Steps, Pentire Steps Beach, Colona Beach and Bossiney Cove.
Cornwall's shores are made for a camera, all towering sea stacks, blowholes, arches and old mine workings caught in changing Atlantic light. On the south coast, Rinsey Cove sits below the restored engine house of Wheal Prosper on Mount's Bay, while Colona Beach hides near Chapel Point between Portmellon and Gorran Haven.
Over on the Roseland, little Porthbean Beach breaks up around a feature called Needle Rock. Up near Padstow, Trevone Bay pairs sand with the collapsed sea cave known as the Round Hole.
The north coast delivers the real drama: the slate stacks of Bedruthan Steps and neighbouring Pentire Steps near Mawgan Porth, remote Tregardock with its cliff waterfall, and Bossiney Cove near Tintagel, guarded by an arch called Elephant Rock. Some are easy to reach, others take a proper walk and a scramble, but each offers something worth framing.
Here are eight photogenic beaches to seek out in Cornwall.
Rinsey Cove
Photo: Bob Jones via Geograph.org.uk
Rinsey Cove Rinsey Cove is a small, remote cove of sand and rock below Rinsey Head on the south coast of Cornwall, between Praa Sands and Porthleven, looking out over Mount's Bay. For photographers the draw is the restored engine house of the old Wheal Prosper mine, standing on the headland just above and worked for tin around the 1860s, part of the Cornish mining World Heritage Site, with more engine houses ranged along the cliffs to the west.
A steep, narrow path leads down from the National Trust car park, and the sand comes and goes with the storms, showing best at low tide before the sea covers it. There are no facilities here.
Trevone Bay
Photo: Colin Park via Geograph.org.uk
Trevone Bay Trevone Bay is a sandy, gently shelving surf beach about two miles west of Padstow in Cornwall, backed by high cliffs and flanked by rocky ledges full of rock pools. The photographer's prize is a short cliff walk away: the Round Hole, a deep blowhole formed where a sea cave collapsed, a striking subject against the sea.
A large tidal pool sits among the rocks nearby, and lifeguards patrol through the summer. Two pay car parks serve the beach, and dogs are restricted during the summer months.
Between the cliffs, the surf and that yawning blowhole, there is plenty here to point a lens at.
Porthbean Beach
Photo: David Brown via Geograph.org.uk
Porthbean Beach Porthbean is a small, quiet beach of sand and shingle on the Roseland peninsula in Cornwall, set in Gerrans Bay near Portscatho, with rock and pools uncovered at low tide. It is really a cluster of little beaches split by a striking feature called Needle Rock, with the furthest of them reachable only over the rocks at lower tides, so a falling tide opens up fresh compositions.
There is no road down; you reach it on foot along the coast path, with steep steps, and the nearest parking is back at Portscatho. There are no facilities on the sand, but the quiet and the rock forms make it a rewarding spot for a camera.
Tregardock Beach
Photo: William Bartlett via Geograph.org.uk
Tregardock Beach Tregardock Beach is a remote, undeveloped stretch on the north Cornwall coast near the hamlet of Treligga, between Trebarwith Strand and Port Isaac. Reaching it means walking a field footpath from the roadside and then scrambling down over rocks, which keeps it wonderfully empty.
At high tide there is effectively no beach at all, but as the water drops several small beaches join into a long run of sand with rockpools and a waterfall tumbling down the cliff, a fine subject in the right light. There are no facilities and no lifeguard here, so time your visit to the tide and take care on the rocks.
Bedruthan Steps
Photo: Steve Daniels via Geograph.org.uk
Bedruthan Steps Bedruthan Steps is a line of tall sea stacks standing on a wide sandy beach beneath high cliffs on the north Cornwall coast, near Mawgan Porth. From the clifftop path the dark slate stacks march out across the sand below, striking shapes rising from the surf and best seen from above.
The National Trust looks after this stretch, called Carnewas, with a tea-room and clifftop walks. The staircase down has been closed since a rockfall in December 2019, so the sands are now something to look down on rather than reach, which suits photographers well.
One stack, Samaritan Island, is named after a sailing ship wrecked here long ago.
Pentire Steps Beach
Photo: Philip Halling via Geograph.org.uk
Pentire Steps Beach Pentire Steps is a sandy, cliff-backed beach on the north Cornwall coast, the next cove north of Bedruthan Steps, from which it is separated by a large rock stack called Diggory's Island. Below the cliffs a broad stretch of sand opens up as the tide falls and vanishes again as it rises, so the scene changes hour by hour.
It is quiet and out of the way, reached down a path and steps from the coast path, with no beachside parking or facilities. There are no lifeguards and strong currents run here, so it is more a beach for walking and views than for swimming.
Colona Beach
Photo: Gareth James via Geograph.org.uk
Colona Beach Colona Beach is a small, secluded cove on the south Cornwall coast, between Portmellon and Gorran Haven near Chapel Point. Shingle covers it at high tide, with more sand showing as the water drops, and rock platforms and pools edge the shore, giving foreground interest for a photograph.
It can be reached only on foot along the coast path, with a final drop down a slipway, which keeps it quiet and unspoilt. There are no buildings or facilities at the beach, just the open sea stretching out in front, so it is a spot for those after clean lines of rock, shingle and water away from the crowds in Cornwall.
Bossiney Cove
Photo: Clint Mann via Geograph.org.uk
Bossiney Cove Bossiney Cove, also called Bossiney Haven, is a small sandy beach on the north Cornwall coast, a little way along from Tintagel. It appears only when the tide is out: at low water a good stretch of sand is uncovered at the foot of high cliffs, joining the neighbouring cove, while at high tide the sand vanishes and only rock is left.
High, dark cliffs enclose it, pierced by a sea cave and a rock arch known locally as Elephant Rock. Reaching the beach means a steep climb down steps and path.
There are no facilities here, just cliffs, sand and sea, in a rugged stretch near the legendary castle of Tintagel.
FAQs
Which Cornwall beach has the best sea stacks to photograph?
Bedruthan Steps on the north Cornwall coast is hard to beat, with its line of dark slate stacks marching across the sand, best seen from the clifftop path. Nearby Pentire Steps adds another fine stack, Diggory's Island.
When is the best time to photograph these Cornish beaches?
Low tide reveals the most at beaches like Tregardock and Bossiney Cove in Cornwall, where the sand only appears as the water drops, so check the tide tables and aim for the softer light around morning and evening.
Are these photogenic beaches in Cornwall easy to reach?
It varies. Trevone Bay near Padstow has car parks close by, but Colona Beach, Porthbean and Tregardock are reached only on foot along the coast path, often with steep steps or a scramble over rocks, so allow time and wear sturdy footwear.
Conclusion
Cornwall rewards anyone who carries a camera to its shores. The north coast offers the boldest drama, from the slate stacks of Bedruthan Steps and Pentire Steps to the cliff waterfall at Tregardock and the Elephant Rock arch at Bossiney Cove near Tintagel.
The south coast trades in quieter beauty: the Wheal Prosper engine house above Rinsey, the secluded lines of Colona Beach and the split sands of Porthbean on the Roseland, while Trevone Bay near Padstow adds its collapsed blowhole, the Round Hole. Light and tide change these places from hour to hour, so it pays to plan around low water and the softer light of morning and evening.
Take care on the steep paths and slippery rocks, respect the closures, and let the coast do the rest. For scenery worth framing, these are the photogenic beaches to seek out in Cornwall.
