Whitsand Bay

Distance: 1.5-4 miles
Time: 1-2 hours (you can spend as long as you want here really!)
Difficulty: Easy/moderate
Sheep Watch: None that we saw, there are wild ponies on the Rame headland.
Parking: Parking at Freathy Long Stay Car Park PL10 1JZ. Free 1^st November – 31^st March otherwise hourly charges apply. No toilet facilities.
Refreshments: If you’re there at the weekend, it’s definitely worth making a beeline for The Old Bakery cafe, which serves up delicious breakfasts and a mouth-watering array of pastries Friday – Sunday.
Useful information: You will definitely want to visit Whitsand Bay at low tide to enjoy at its best. Find the daily tide times with a quick search online.

The route

Located on the Rame Peninsula, often referred to as ‘Cornwall’s forgotten corner’, we think Whitsand Bay offers everything you could wish for in a dog friendly day out. It’s ideal if you’re looking for somewhere a little off the beaten track, that never gets as busy as some of the more popular Cornish hotspots.

Backed by dramatic cliffs dotted with quirky huts, Whitsand Bay stretches all the way from Portwrinkle in the west to Rame Head in the east. This stunning and wild stretch of coastline is made up of several sandy beaches including Portwrinkle, Tregantle Beach, Tregonhawke, Freathy and Polhawn. At low tide all of these beaches join together to become one huge 4-mile expanse of sand for dogs to run free. Rock pools are scattered along the all the beaches, perfect for splashing around in. Pooches will have the time of their lives running around on the beach and playing in the shallows. Better still, it’s dog friendly all year round with no seasonal restrictions.

The South West Coast path runs behind the bay and offers an excellent option to extend your walk to nearby Rame Head. Wander past the wild Dartmoor ponies grazing the headland before climbing the many stairs up to the Rame Head Chapel. Records suggest that this tiny chapel dates all the way back to the 14th-century, perhaps even further. Today, although there are no windows or even a door, the chapel remains standing. Visit on a clear day and you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking views onto Plymouth Sound, as well as over towards Western Cornwall.

It is rather a steep walk down to the beach (and back up!) so you’ll want to wear sensible footwear. It’s also worth noting that there are few facilities in Whitsand Bay, so pick up a freshly baked pasty from The Cornish Pod en route if you’re going to get peckish. The sunsets are pretty special at Whitsand Bay, so it’s worth sticking around if you have time. Our top tip – make sure to track the tide times, it’s very easy to get cut off and stranded on the wrong beach when approaching high tide!

Let us know if you drop Whitsand Bay this a visit, it’s a really special place.

Thanks for reading,

Cara, Andy, Poppy & Maple x