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.

Great Western beach

Season: winter

Bright sunshine greeted me at Great Western beach. The tide was low, allowing access to neighbouring Tolcarne and Towan beaches. This is a great place to look out from, with a view taking in Newquay harbour and stretching right round to Trevose Head lighthouse. Weekending beachgoers were enjoying a respite from the winter storms, which had left their destructive mark on these beaches and the buildings behind them.

What the beach means to Sophie.

Low tide at Great Western beach in the sunshine.

Season: spring

It was a blustery morning. Bleary party-goers from the previous night wandered about the town as I headed down to the beach on the road behind the Great Western Hotel. The tide was out, giving access to Lusty Glaze and Towan beaches from Great Western beach itself. The ebb tide created a familiar glistening effect on the sand.

Theresa and her enjoyment of the beach.

The open Great Western beach in Newquay.

Porthoustock beach

Season: winter

Porthoustock has a fine industrial heritage, as explained by interviewee Tracy and Dudman’s quarry is still busy, with regular visits from bulk carriers to collect aggregates. The harbour sits next to Falmouth Bay, a busy location for international maritime traffic. Tracy explained how her grandfather had fallen into the sea from the top of the old quarry building, emerging safely, his main concern being whether his tobacco was still usable.

The harbour and quarry, as a part of Porthoustock’s heritage.

All quiet at Porthoustock.

Season: winter

It was a bright day at Porthoustock. Houses and shops were being renovated and tidied up during this quiet time of year. Dudman’s Quarry rumbled industriously in the background, preparing aggregates for their journey to the Baltic and beyond. Back from the beach the village slumbered in the mellow light of a winter’s day.

Jane takes the air in Porthoustock.

A bright winter day at the beach in Porthoustock.

Season: summer

This visit to Porthoustock coincided with the arrival of the bulk carrier “Thames”, docking for aggregates at Dudmans West of England Quarry jetty. There’s an industrious, welcoming feel to the fishing village and a proud heritage of life saving, particularly from the lethal Manacles rocks, as witnessed by interviewee Henry as he showed me around the Old Lifeboat House and its records. Among these were some hand carved sail patterns on boats by Tim Connor, which you can see in the photo gallery, below.

With Henry in the Old Lifeboat House.

Why Barry is at the beach.

Gwithian beach

Season: winter

There was half a rising tide at Gwihian for this visit. Messy seven foot high waves erupted randomly in a strong wind at this most elemental of beaches. Sand blew across the flat surface of the beach and kite surfers battled with the conditions in front of Godrevy lighthouse. The approach to Gwithian across the dunes, or Towans, offers panoramic views right round from St Ives and Hayle to Godrevy.

The joy of the beach for Faye.

A wild day at Gwithian on a rising tide.

Season: spring

If you want a taste of elemental Cornwall this is a fine beach to visit, as it forms the middle section of a long strand from Godrevy to Hayle Towans, comprising an unbroken ribbon of golden sand and dunes that face the wild Atlantic, with views across to Carbis Bay and St Ives. The tide was almost out and a storm arrived from the west to showcase the wild nature of this popular surfing beach.

What the beach means to Anna.

On the beach at Gwithian, just as the weather turns.

Season: winter

The tide was high and the sea was wild. White breakers spanned the bay right round to St Ives. Storm watchers were out to record the action of the waves on the lighthouse at Godrevy. The soft cliffs here at Gwithian had been clawed away during the the recent spring tides. This was nature in the raw, elemental and spectacular.

Friends at the beach.

Season: summer

If I lived in a city and I wanted to slip away when my head hit the pillow, this is where I’d go. There is such a wide range of sensory experiences. Gwithian can be as wild as you like, especially down on the beach in the wind and next to the surf, but today it was benign, peace personified. There is a rich variety of perspectives, from the contours and hollows of the dunes to a razor sharp horizon on a clear day. The beach is long and flat, so the variety of water textures on this ebb tide was stunning.

With Georgina above the beach at Gwithian on a fine morning.

A sensory overload at Gwithian beach on the north coast of Cornwall.

Season: spring

Choosing your favourite beach is like choosing your top ten records, different every time. This beach is very special though, as it’s where, on my previous visit, it became clear to me that manonabeach® was worth pushing on with. So I suppose that’s one thing that the beach means to me. It was very mild and misty on this visit, with a lot of surfers in the sea. The ebb tide left the sand glistening. A wide expanse of sand was opening up as the tide fell away. Great place, highly recommended.

Bob’s affinity for water and the sea, always pulling him to the beach.

An ebb tide at Gwithian in North Cornwall.

Season: autumn

This magnificent north coast beach is long and wild when the wind’s up, which it was during this visit. There is parking above the beach, along with a vibrant café and toilets.

The exposed beach at Gwithian.