Best Beaches Near Plymouth
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best beaches near Plymouth are Firestone Bay, Batten Bay, Barn Pool Beach, Jennycliff Beach, Sandways Beach, Sharrow Beach, Cellar Beach and Wadham Rocks Beach.
Plymouth sits where Devon meets Cornwall, wrapped around one of the finest natural harbours in Britain, and its sheltered water hides a string of small beaches on every side. Close to the city centre, Firestone Bay tucks below the Royal William Yard on the western shore, while across the Sound the Mount Batten peninsula holds Batten Bay and, a little south, the clifftop cove at Jennycliff.
Cross to the Cornish side and you reach Barn Pool below the Mount Edgcumbe estate, then follow the coast round to Sandways Beach between Kingsand and Cawsand and, further west, Sharrow Beach in the great sweep of Whitsand Bay. East along the Devon shore, quieter corners wait at the mouth of the River Yealm, where Cellar Beach and the remote sands at Wadham Rocks lie below the cliffs.
Some are a short hop from the Barbican; others reward a longer walk out along the coast path. Whether you want a swim before breakfast or a whole day of scrambling and rock-pooling, there is something here for every mood.
Here are eight beaches to seek out near Plymouth.
Firestone Bay
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Firestone Bay is only a couple of kilometres from the city, a small pebble beach on the western side of Plymouth Sound, tucked below the Royal William Yard at Devil's Point. A stone archway through the sea wall leads down to the shore.
Beside the bay lies a man-made tidal swimming pool, filled and emptied by the sea, which cold-water swimmers use right through the year. The water looks out across the Sound, though the currents around the point can run strong.
Batten Bay
Photo: Matthew Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Batten Bay is a small strand of sand and shingle on the Mount Batten peninsula, just across Plymouth Sound from the waterfront. Sheltered, with rock pools among the stones, it looks over the busy water toward Drake's Island and the Hoe.
Behind it the low peninsula runs out to Mount Batten Point, topped by a round stone tower, an old artillery fort from the 1650s that still watches over the Sound. Boats and sailboards come and go, and a water taxi crosses to the Barbican.
Paths lead round the point past the tower for views in every direction. It is a quiet corner on a working harbour, close to the city.
Barn Pool Beach
Photo: Philip Halling via Geograph.org.uk
Barn Pool Beach is a steep shingle beach on the Cornish side of Plymouth Sound, tucked below the woods and parkland of the Mount Edgcumbe estate, about three kilometres out. The pebbles drop quickly into deep, sheltered water, a quiet anchorage looking straight across to Drake's Island and the city beyond.
Behind rise the lawns, trees and old gardens of the country park, with picnic tables on the grass and paths along the shore. Boats often lie at anchor in the pool offshore.
Reached on foot through the estate, it is a calm, green corner facing a busy waterway, with ships and ferries passing out on the Sound.
Jennycliff Beach
Photo: Alan Murray-Rust via Geograph.org.uk
Jennycliff Beach is a pebble and rock beach on the eastern side of Plymouth Sound in Devon, just over three kilometres from the centre and below a grassy clifftop park with wide views across to the city and Mount Batten. A cafe, car park and toilets sit at the top, with a steep path of a few minutes down to the shore.
Rock pools open among the pebbles at low tide, and the coast path runs along the clifftop within an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Sandways Beach
Photo: Darren Rosson via Geograph.org.uk
Sandways Beach Rows of pastel-painted old cottages crowd right down to the shore here, framing a small patch of sand, pebble and rock wedged between the twin fishing villages of Kingsand and Cawsand. This is the Rame peninsula in south-east Cornwall, facing Plymouth across the water, on the South West Coast Path and sheltered by Plymouth Sound.
Lower tides uncover more sand to sit on. The beach itself offers next to nothing in the way of facilities, but that hardly matters when shops, pubs and cafes lie just steps back among the two villages.
Time your visit for the ebb and settle in.
Sharrow Beach
Photo: Trevor Harris via Geograph.org.uk
Sharrow Beach is a sandy cove within the long sweep of Whitsand Bay, on the Rame peninsula in south-east Cornwall near Sharrow Point. At low tide the sand opens out to join neighbouring coves; at high water it shrinks to a small cove below the cliffs, reached by a steep path down.
Its curiosity is the Sharrow Grot, a little shelter cut into the cliff by a former navy man named Lugger in the late eighteenth century, its walls carved with verse. Strong currents run in the bay, so there are lifeguards in the summer season, with a car park up on the road.
Cellar Beach
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Cellar Beach is a small beach of pebble and sand at the mouth of the River Yealm in south Devon, reached only on foot. The walk in runs from Noss Mayo along Passage Road and past Warren Point, ending in a steep drop with steps cut into the rock at the back of the beach.
It looks out across the river mouth toward Wembury on the far side. Nothing is built at the beach itself, just the shore below the cliffs, so it stays a quiet reward for the walk.
Wadham Rocks Beach
Photo: jeff collins via Geograph.org.uk
Wadham Rocks Beach is a remote sandy cove backed by low slate cliffs on the south Devon coast, between the mouths of the Yealm and the Erme and nearest to Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers. Rock outcrops break up the sand at low tide, and the beach sits on former estate land near National Trust ground at Stoke Point.
It is reached on foot along a public footpath, with a steep final descent and no facilities. The far ends are used informally by naturists.
It is the furthest of these coves and best kept for a longer walk out along the coast.
FAQs
Which beach near Plymouth is best for a quick dip close to the city?
Firestone Bay is only about two kilometres from the centre, on the western side of Plymouth Sound below the Royal William Yard, and it has a man-made tidal pool used by cold-water swimmers all year. Jennycliff, on the eastern shore, is another easy option a few minutes from the city.
How do you get to the Cornish-side beaches like Barn Pool and Sandways?
Barn Pool is reached on foot through the Mount Edgcumbe estate on the Cornish side of Plymouth Sound, while Sandways Beach sits between the villages of Kingsand and Cawsand on the Rame peninsula, with the villages behind for shops, pubs and cafes.
Do any of these beaches have strong currents?
Yes. The currents around Devil's Point at Firestone Bay can run strong, and Sharrow Beach in Whitsand Bay is known for them too, though Sharrow has lifeguards in summer. Always check conditions before swimming anywhere around Plymouth Sound.
Conclusion
From the tidal pool at Firestone Bay to the wild sands out at Wadham Rocks, the shore around Plymouth rewards a little exploring. Close to the centre you can be swimming below the Royal William Yard or rock-pooling at Jennycliff within minutes, while the Cornish side offers Barn Pool, Sandways and the long reach of Sharrow Beach in Whitsand Bay.
Head east along the Devon coast and the walk-in coves at Cellar Beach and Wadham Rocks reward the effort with quiet and space. Some are pebble, some are sand, and each looks out over that great natural harbour in its own way.
Pick a calm day, check the tides and the currents, and go: from a quick morning dip to a full day's ramble, these are the beaches to seek out near Plymouth.
