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.

Loe Bar beach

Season: spring

It was a fine, bright spring morning for this visit. The area has exceptional scenery, including the nature reserve at Loe Pool, located on the landward side of the bar. It also has a tranquil and peaceful ambiance, which belies the extreme danger of bathing here. There is a steep shingle slope just offshore, which is impossible to climb up, once in the water, hence the instructions not to bathe at any time here, however inviting it may appear. There’s a delightful stretch of the South West Coast Path in each direction from the beach, including a fine cliff top stroll along to Porthleven.

Part of Jake’s daily routine.

Looking down on Loe Bar in Cornwall.

Season: summer

On a beautiful morning at Loe Bar a German film crew were adapting a Rosamunde Pilcher novel, filming on the bank above the Bar. As the tide rose, you could see and feel the enormous undertow on this steep sided, lethal beach. The difference in the water on either side of the Bar, the raging Atlantic and the tranquil Loe Pool, was marked, the two stretches of water divided by a thin, sandy bar with a few sea cabbages.

John’s affinity for the head space he gets at the beach.

Tim’s perennial love of the sea.

A study in tranquility, Loe Bar in the morning.

Porthmelgan beach

Season: autumn

Located just under St David’s Head, this beach is a quiet, secluded alternative to the expansive Whitesands Bay. Looking out to Ramsey Island, it’s sandy at low tide and fringed by high cliffs. It also features a small stream that runs across the beach. Backed by the peak of Carn Llidi, this is an unspoilt oasis of peace and tranquility.

The ability of the beach to reinforce faith.

The secluded beach at Porthmelgan, near St David’s.

Fistral beach

Season: summer

Dawn was breaking just behind the dunes. The beach was in shadow, but the hotels on East Pentire were brightly lit. A high tide pushed early morning walkers up to the higher reaches of the beach and the car park was empty. Interviewee Simon looked down on his favourite beach from the comfort of the gardens at The Headland Hotel, evoking dreams of times gone by and times to come.

Childhood memories and future family times for Simon.

Early morning above Fistral beach in the summer.

Season: summer

A long spell of high pressure continued. Crowds had flocked to this magnificent beach to enjoy the ongoing fine summer. Surfers, sunbathers and walkers mingled by the sea. There are plenty of facilities behind the beach and in the town beyond. Fistral is often referred to as the surfing capital of Cornwall, but it’s also a wonderful place to paddle or swim, framed by Towan Head, East Pentire and the dunes behind the beach itself.

The fun of the beach for Lindsey.

A summer day at Fistral beach.

Season: autumn

You may be tired and find yourself at Fistral beach on a stormy morning like this. It’s low tide. You’re close to the wild waves and the apocalyptic sky, with the sand shining like glass. You’re going to return home completely rejuvenated. The energy in a North Cornwall beach on a stormy day lifts the soul. It’s a chaotic harmony, odd and wonderful. Fistral beach always has and always will attract thrill seekers, adventurous spirits who travel miles to immerse themselves in some of the best surf in these islands. As a town beach in Newquay, there’s an exuberant side to Fistral and it hosts most of the national and international surfing legs that visit Cornwall.

Kite surfer Andy at Fistral beach, about to commune with nature…

…and here he is, among the waves.

Season: winter

The sun was slipping below East Pentire on arrival at Fistral beach. The Headland Hotel still caught the sun, as did Towan Head and the white lookout post that sits above Little Fistral to the east. On the beach there was a sense of a Scottish gloaming, countered by the roaring surf of the ebb tide. A big Atlantic storm was forecast, so it was time to get home before dark and light the fire.

All that the beach gives to Andy.

The scene by the water on an ebb tide at Fistral beach as a winter day draws to a close.

Season: spring

This early evening visit was a chance to see Fistral beach relatively empty before the seasonal crowds arrived. The tide was out and a few couples and dog walkers were pottering along the water’s edge.

Two sisters with their thoughts on the appeal of the beach.

Season: winter

I visited the magnificent Fistral beach on this occasion during the Festive Season in December 2011, approaching from the parking at East Pentire on the road above the western end of the beach. You can also park at the town end in a Pay & Display car park, which has toilets, other facilities and shops. The beach is renowned for its surfing waves and surf culture, so if you want to see it when it’s quiet, visit early in the morning or off-season.

A chat with Andy on his way back from a surf, framed by the majesty of the Atlantic breakers behind.

A fine panorama at Fistral beach in Newquay, seen from above the western end of the beach.