A wonderful sandy beach at the mouth of the Camel Estuary. It faces west and the infamous ‘Doom Bar’ that has caused so many problems to mariners getting in and out of Padstow Harbour. Bounded by Trebetherick Point on its northern side and the memorable shape of Brea Hill on the southern side it is possible to walk to Brea Beach and Rock at low water. A small sand dune system backs the beach and beyond the dunes is the delightful St.Enodoc Church where the poet John Betjeman is buried.
PL27 6SA - From Wadebridge take the B3314 and after 4.5kms turn left and follow the signs to Rock; after a further 2kms turn right and follow the signs to Daymer Bay which is 2.5kms. The car park (capacity over 300 cars) is just above the access to the beach. Alternatively, from Polzeath, take the road to Trebetherick and after 1km, turn right to Daymer Bay. It is also possible to catch the ferry from Padstow to Rock and then walk northwards either along Brea Beach or the Coast Path (1km) which runs along the edge of the beach and sand dunes.
At high tide there is a fine length of beach (200m) which is made up of light golden sand. At low water the tide retreats over 400m leaving a vast expanse of flat sand which joins up with Brea Beach and Rock. There are small areas of rocky foreshore towards Trebetherick Point. Also at low water the estuary channel is very narrow with Harbour Cove on the other side less than 200m away.
There is safety equipment above the beach. Swimming on a rising high tide is usually safe but entering the channel at low water must not be undertaken due to vicious currents. It is not a real surfing beach but a small swell and waves can be good enough for body-boarding. There are excellent conditions for windsurfing but there are payments to the Padstow Harbour Commissioners. There are restrictions on Kite Surfing during July and August. Inflatables should not be used when there is an offshore wind. Snorkelling is only good around Trebetherick Point to Greenaway Beach. There are some rock pools. Craft cannot be launched from the beach.
There are no restrictions on dogs. Toilets are located in the car park. There is a cafe and beach shop next to the car park that sells windsurfing equipment. The nearest restaurants/pubs are at Polzeath or Rock.
Water quality can vary due to run-off into the Estuary. It is a good family beach even though it has had problems in recent years of noisy evening beach parties but these seem now under control.
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