A little beach village in Cornwall. Perfect for a holiday.
I’ve been to Mawgan Porth on holiday about ten times, so I feel pretty qualified to review the place! Halfway between Newquay and Padstow on the Cornish North coast, it’s situated near most of the tourist attractions. It is the perfect place for families. Groups of youngsters are better off finding a cheap b& b in Newquay. It’s a small, quiet little village, but the car park does fill up quickly, so get there early if you want a space. As long as you don’t park in front of a local’s car, everyone is really friendly. Well they should be – they’re probably grinning at you thinking, ‘We’re ripping you off, you silly tourists.’ A word of warning: Don’t take you kids in Betty’s Shop and let them choose their beach toys. Betty’s is about the only shop here, but trust me, wait until you drive somewhere else if you can. My niece’s flimsy plastic bucket and spade cost a jaw-dropping £6.50!! Fortunately my daughters didn’t mind waiting for theirs and we got 2 wooden handled spades and 2 solid buckets for £6 all together at a little shop at St Michael’s Mount. The wind shelters cost £15 at Betty’s, but in the indoor market on the approach to Newquay they cost £5 – so go there, or any other cheapy shop in the town itself.
The beach at Mawgan Porth is gorgeous – miles of sand and brilliant rock pools and caves to explore to find crabs and creatures like they do on children’s programs but are never the same at your nearest beach. There’s a little river that flows out to sea; a waterfall coming off the cliffs; perfect sand-castle sand; rocks to climb on. It is honestly the perfect beach. Dogs are allowed even in summer holidays – worth noting if you’re a dog owner, but I’ve never seen any dog mess, so people are responsible here. And the waves are good for body boarding, and learning to surf. (see review of King Surf School coming soon).
Be aware – the petrol station no longer sells petrol (the nearest one, close to Newquay airport is about 10p per litre more expensive than most places too, so fill up in advance) and the cash machine inside the shop runs out of cash. You really are in the depths of Cornwall, but that’s all part of the charm.
Mawgan Porth
