Porthminster beach
Porthminster beach is sandy at all states of the tide. It is the second largest beach at St Ives (after Porthmeor) with nearby parking and facilities at the top of the beach so it can get pretty crowded in summer especially at high tide. On a low spring tide, it joins up with the beach at St Ives harbour, making it possible to walk between the two along the sand.
A drainage pipe, carrying rainwater run-off from the coast - effectively a stream in a pipe - empties beneath the beach. This can cause a bubbling hole to appear in the beach when there has been a lot of rain. It has "swallowed" a couple fences intended to keep the public away from it and the tabloid media have melodramatically described it as a sinkhole but it is more like quicksand caused by the flow of water. It is therefore wise to keep clear of it.
Walks visiting Porthminster beach
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4.2 miles/6.8 km - Moderate
St Ives to Carbis Bay
St Ives to Carbis Bay
4.2 miles/6.8 km - Moderate
A circular walk from St Ives through the Steeple Woods nature reserve to the monument overlooking St Ives Bay where the eccentric quinquennial ceremony of John Knill has been performed for over 200 years, returning along the coast via the white sandy beaches of Carbis Bay and Porthminster.
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4.3 miles/7 km - Moderate
Lelant to St Ives
Lelant to St Ives
4.3 miles/7 km - Moderate
A one-way walk to St Ives along the beaches from Lelant including the vast expanse of Porthkidney Sands, Carbis Bay and Porthminster Beach using the train or bus to make the route almost circular.
Download the iWalk Cornwall app and use the QR scanner within the app to find out more about any of the walks above.