Gems of Cornwall: Grebe Beach

Grebe beach is firstly my favourite spot in Cornwall, hands down. It is isolated, protected from the wind and relatively quiet even on a summer day and this is something that is quite rare to find in Cornwall, especially when the schools are out. 

To find the beach park in Bosveal car park which is a National Trust car park. If you have a National Trust membership and car sticker, great! You can park for free. If not the pay stations can be located at the entrance of the car park. Tip: If you are spending a lot of time in Cornwall, or even lucky enough to live there, it might be better to invest in a National Trust membership (Student Membership is only £2.50 a month). A lot of the car parks around Cornwall are owned by the National Trust. Personally I found that it makes it a lot cheaper, I could easily spending £15 on parking over a weekend alone.

Once you have parked, head down (you will be walking down a hill) the path that leads you through a wooded area. Continue walking down this path until you reach the steps that lead onto a single track road. Turn right onto the road and the path to the beach is the first left you come to (you should be able to see the sea from the top of the path). Head down the path and it will lead you down to Grebe Beach. The path is very uneven at times.

Now onto the fun bit. As it is in an estuary it is relatively sheltered from the elements you would experience on an exposed beach. This spot is perfect to take an afternoon dip and the sea looks like the mediterranean when the sun is out. This is a super spot to spend the day with a picnic. Another great feature is a fallen tree at the far right of the beach from which a hammock can be hung. Finally the evenings are a perfect time to have a beach fire and are a great way to end the day.

High tide will cut off the entrance to the beach. Please exercise caution if you intend on swimming out into the main part of the estuary, not only will there be currents but there is a significant amount of boat traffic. There are also no public toilets (but plenty of bushes) and please put your rubbish in the bins that are on the way back up to the car park.