Coasteering Newquay

Cornwall is home to some of the United Kingdom’s best coastlines, which makes it the perfect place for coasteering. The beaches of Newquay are world-renowned, but the area offers far more than just surfing. Coasteering Newquay allows you to experience the best of Newquay’s coast, combining wild swimming, climbing, hiking, and more.

Any coasteering adventure should be done with safety in mind and with one of the best coasteering providers in Newquay. A good provider will make sure you have a well-trained guide and all the safety equipment you need to discover the area’s best locations. Some coasteering providers also offer additional services, such as kayaks and jet ski coasteering events. However, all you really need is a love of the great outdoors and a sense of adventure.

The Newquay coastline is full of rich environmental and heritage sites only accessible from the water. This makes coasteering the ideal way to see everything this part of Cornwall has to offer. Stretching from Watergate Bay down to Penhale, the Newquay region has a lot of unique coastal areas. With a rich seafaring history, including Iron Age forts and pirate caves, as well as plants and wildlife you won’t find anywhere else, Newquay is a great place for coasteering North Cornwall, whether it’s your first time or you have lots of experience.

Coasteering Newquay – Watergate, Fistral and Towan

The first stop for many visitors to Newquay is the famous Fistral Beach, known for hosting the Boardmasters surf competition. Although it is often full of sun worshippers and surfers, it’s also a great place to explore as a coasteer. As you reach the northern end of the sandy beach at Fistral, you’ll find one of the best coasteering areas at Towan Headland. Just off the coast, you’ll find the Cribbar Reef, known by surfers for the 30-foot waves it produces each year. However, it’s also a great place to explore.

The craggy outcropping is a great starting point for any adventure. From here, you can step back in time as you explore the caves along this stretch of coastline, which were once used by pirates. The headland here has been the site of many shipwrecks over the centuries and there’s plenty to see when you swim through the clear waters of the area. Towan headland is also the base for Newquay Activity Centre, which offers a wide variety of coasteering routes starting there.

Coasteering Newquay Bay, Lusty Glaze, and Porth Island

North of Towan headlands, you’ll be in Newquay Bay, which stretches across several of Newquay’s best beaches. Tolcarne offers a clear stretch of sand before you reach the cliffs that separate it from Lusty Glaze. Both beaches offer popular spots away from Fistral, but they’re also a great place to explore on a coasteering adventure. The cliffs and rocky outcrops offer excellent climbing opportunities, and the best coasteering providers in Newquay, such as Newquay Watersports Centre offer options at both low and high tide to experience all the area has to offer. As the South West Coast Path goes along the flat cliff tops, coasteering allows you to experience the full vertical beauty of the area.

A bit further north, you’ll find Porth Beach, however, the real draw here is Porth Island. The small island, also known as Trevelgue Head, can be reached by a small bridge from the sheltered sandy beach at Porth. The South West Coast Path goes along the top of the island, but on a coasteering trip such as the Porth Island route offered by Bare Feet Coasteering, you’ll be able to see much more of the peninsula’s best features. There’s a fantastic blowhole in the middle of the island that is visible at mid-tide, especially on windy days. The island is also home to an Iron Age fort, including ramparts and barrows, and has been the site of historic finds over the years. It’s a great location that combines nature and history.

On the northern side of Porth, you’ll reach Watergate Bay. Much like Fistral, it is known for surfing, but it also offers a great spot for coasteering. An experienced guide can show you the best places for diving into the high tidewaters of the Atlantic Ocean along the Newquay coast.

Coasteering Newquay: Pentire, Holywell, and Penhale

South of Fistral you’ll find the Pentire Headland. This separates Crantock Beach from Fistral and is full of areas to explore. When coasteering Newquay, at Crantock, you have the ability to get in the waters of the Gannel Estuary, offering a calm tidal flow out to the ocean. Popular with SUP riders and families, this allows you to take a slower pace than some other coasteering routes. However, if you’re looking for more adventure, the Pentire Headland itself offers the perfect alternative. From Pentire Headland, you can explore the cliffs full of secluded caves. At low tide, you might even get to walk along a small secluded beach only reachable as a coasteer.

At the south end of the Newquay coast is Kelsey Head, The Chick Island, and Holywell Bay. These are quiet areas with a rich maritime history, with Penhale Adventure providing coasteering based at the old Penhale Military Training Centre. Whether you explore St. Cuthbert’s Cave or the coast along Penhale Point, you’ll see a natural beauty only Cornwall can offer.