Par Sands beach - circular walks

Par Sands beach

The beach at Par Sands, Cornwall

Par beach faces south into St Austell Bay and is roughly half a mile across. The dunes behind the sandy beach are slowly growing in height and consequently the high tide line has been measured as moving seaward by an average of roughly one metre per year between the 1880s and 1980s. The sparkles in the sand are due to tiny particles of mica and the gravel with the sand is quartz - both are unwanted bits of rock separated from china clay when is it purified.

Circular walks visiting Par Sands beach

  • 3.5 miles/5.6 km - Easy

    Par and Tywardreath

    Path through Tywardreath marshes

    Par and Tywardreath

    3.5 miles/5.6 km - Easy

    A circular walk at Tywardreath where a mediaeval Priory was based and Par where much of the route was once a tidal creek and a wetland nature reserve has been created on some of the reclaimed land.

  • 3 miles/4.9 km - Moderate

    Par Beach to Polkerris

    Par Beach to Polkerris

    3 miles/4.9 km - Moderate

    A circular walk on the coast path and Saint's Way from Par to the fishing hamlet of Polkerris where the pub has retreated into the Lifeboat station after being washed away by a storm in Victorian times, and Napoleonic cannons were built into the harbour wall as mooring posts.

Download the iWalk Cornwall app and use the QR scanner within the app to find out more about any of the walks above.