Fact: Cornwall has two Towan beaches. In fact it has lots more if you add any beach with Towan somewhere in the name – it means ‘sand dunes’ in Cornish – but, at least, there are two excellent stretches of sand called Towan Beach. One is slap bang in the middle of Newquay and if you want to read about that then see here. The other is on the picturesque Roseland Peninsula near St Mawes and over the water from Falmouth.
If Newquay’s Towan, overlooked by one of the ultra-lively north coast town’s busiest corners, is an Argentine tango then the Towan on the serene south coast is a romantic waltz. This really is another world altogether. On the edge of the Roseland Peninsula’s St Anthony headland which overlooks St Mawes, this is a beach that seems almost purposely designed for people to just get away from it all. And we mean that with muffled bells on.
Towan is an ultra-serene southeast-facing beach just down the coast from the idyllic Portscatho village on the way to the lighthouse at St Anthony Head. You won’t stumble across it en route to anywhere. The only people who would are those out for an amble around the headland. This makes it a real hidden gem in our eyes as it gives visitors a chance to escape some of Cornwall’s more crowded south coast sandy spots.
Those who venture here will be rewarded by a picturesque bay that’s nestled among the rolling headland’s countryside. At high tide the beach is sand and shingle but at low tide, the rock pools come out to play. And there are bucketloads of them, making this place a big hit with families with young children who just love to explore. From Easter to October, you can buy drinks and ice creams at the beach but at other times you’ll need to bring your own grub to make a day of this spot.
There’s no lifeguard cover here but really that’s to be expected as this beach feels about as far away from the madding crowd as it gets. One bonus for pet lovers is that it’s open all-year-round to dogs, though. So, yeah, if you want wild in the party sense then head to Newquay’s Towan Beach but if you want wild in the lost-in-the-wilderness sense, with no crowds and only the sounds of nature in the air, this Towan is your own little slice of Cornwall beach heaven.