Author Archives: manonabeach

About manonabeach

On a beach…welcome to manonabeach.com, where I’ll regularly add video of my beach visits, so you can enjoy a flavour of the beach, even when you’re not there.

Molunan beach

Season: autumn

In bright sunshine on a low tide, the Molunan beaches felt like a private haven amidst the yachting activity on Carrick Roads. Sailing boats made their way out from Mylor, Flushing or Falmouth to round St Anthony Head, perhaps just on their way to Porthbeor beach on the other side of the headland, or maybe on to Fowey, the Yealm or even further afield. One or two had anchored off Great Molunan beach, their sailors now gazing across to Falmouth and the Helford Estuary from these beautiful beaches.

David and Gaye’s affection for Great Molunan beach, their “Anniversary Bay”.

Looking down on the Molunans with Sam and Georgina in the sunshine.

On the rocks at low tide between Little Molunan and Great Molunan beaches.

Season: winter

This was a bright, clear, sunny day at the Molunans on the Roseland Peninsula. However, the approach to the beaches from St Anthony Head lighthouse told a story of storm damage, as the wooden walkway to the beach lay in tatters. Such is the diversity that one finds at the beach that it didn’t seem possible, as this visit’s weather was so benign. The ebb tide cast gentle breakers against the soft sand, a world away from the wildness that had just passed.

The changing face of the beach for Anthony.

Winter sunshine at the Molunans.

Season: summer

The tide was high, covering Great and Little Molunan beaches. Today’s scene-setting film was from above the beaches, next to St Anthony Head lighthouse, scanning the Carrick Roads and the surrounding beaches included in the series. Stuart and Adele were fishing from the WWII jetty, referenced by Nicky on a previous visit as the access point for her regular swims.

Stuart’s empathy for the sea.

A fine vista from above the Molunan beaches on the Roseland Peninsula.

Season: spring

The sun broke through, after a spell of low pressure. The Molunan beaches are isolated and natural, located on the bottom tip of the Roseland Peninsula. Despite their isolation, you can see wildlife, boats and Falmouth itself from here. You’re effectively right under St Anthony Head lighthouse. The sailing and fishing boats seem to pass within touching distance on their way out to Falmouth Bay and beyond. They look like they’re starting a great adventure and you want to jump on board for the ride, to go where they are going as they battle out into the open sea.

With Pat on Great Molunan beach.

A rising tide on Great Molunan beach.

Season: winter

This was a spectacularly beautiful morning. Great Molunan and Little Molunan beaches face West at the foot of the Roseland Peninsula, opposite Falmouth on the Carrick Roads. They are next to St Anthony Head lighthouse and there is parking at the top of the path down to the beach.

Chatting to Nicky in an idyllic setting on Great Molunan beach at the end of January.

Sandford Bay

Season: summer

Bright sunshine greeted me for this summer visit and I walked under blue skies. A high tide showcased the picturesque harbour, which had been repaired since the damage and disarray evident during my earlier wild weather spring visit. Pleasure craft for visitors’ mackerel fishing pottered about in the harbour on a flat, languid sea, such a difference from the storms during my previous visit.

Jim looks back in time.

A bright morning at Sandford Bay.

Season: spring

Sandford Bay features a small beach and sits just south of Peterhead. The bay is generally sheltered and the beach is secluded. Best access is via a footpath from Boddam. It’s off the beaten track and feels isolated, particularly out of season. A wild storm made this an invigorating visit, but in summer seals can be seen basking on the beach, which also lies next to excellent coastal walking.

The beach as a reference point for Brenda.

What the beach means to Frances.

In Boddam harbour on Sandford Bay.

Chapel Porth beach

Season: autumn

A calm sea was lit by the easterly morning sun. At low tide the geology in the sea caves around the corner from the main part of the beach was striking, nestled below the abandoned engine house that stands on the stark cliffs here. The waves were modest yet long, perfectly formed arcs just before they broke. I ran into Ralph, one of the first manonabeach® interviewees from last year, enjoying his passion for sea fishing.

A re-acquaintance with Ralph in his natural environment.

Chapel Porth beach shows its gentle side.

Season: autumn

As the sun broke in the east, it lit a wild sea on Cornwall’s North Coast. The breakers piled in relentlessly over the broken rocks at the head of the beach. This was elemental nature in the raw. The tide really races in here and you have to be watchful at the water’s edge. When you leave Chapel Porth on a morning such as this, you feel exhilarated and alive, recharged and ready to go.

Richard enjoys the sea, in awe at the elements.

The action of the sea on the land at Chapel Porth.

Season: summer

This is an elemental beach with a dramatic approach down a winding road in a deep gorge. The beach faces the Atlantic and the geology bears witness to the land’s abrasive relationship with the ocean, featuring stark rocky outcrops that have been chiseled apart by the weather and sea. It is a rejuvenating environment, always breezy and invigorating, a place to gain a positive charge at the start of the day.

Stephen’s affinity for this beach.

At the water’s edge in the morning.

Season: spring

The approach by road to Chapel Porth beach, located near St Agnes in North Cornwall, is dramatic. You drop between two imposing hillsides, with the road clinging to one side, its edge marked by posts between you and the drop. It has the feel of Wrynose or Hardknott Passes in the Lake District. On this occasion I was greeted by the North Atlantic breakers beyond the beach. The tide was nearly out, with eroded rock standing proud against the beach and sea. Chapel Porth is a wild place, natural and untamed, braced in a cauldron of elements.

Bob explains the draw of Chapel Porth beach to his family.

The rocks and the beach, standing back from a falling tide.

Inside a magical sea tunnel beside the waves on Chapel Porth beach.

Season: winter

It was a windy morning at Chapel Porth. The beach is at the bottom of a deep valley. It has plenty of parking right on the beach and a toilet block which forms part of the National Trust investment that has been made in its infrastructure. It does feel isolated from the retail world, and it is all the better for it. The beach is on an exhilarating stretch of the South West Coast Path and is notable for its foreboding cliffs.

My chat with Ralph, who has a lifetime’s perspective on beach life here, specifically body boarding and fishing. He explains the best way and time to catch bass off the rocks.