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Fun on Carne Beach

The expanse of golden sand, shallows and fantastic rock pools makes Carne Beach a child’s paradise

Holidaymakers enjoy the sun and sand at Carne Beach, the best beach on the south Cornish coast.
Carne Beach - one of the best beaches in Cornwall

There are over three hundred beaches in Cornwall and Carne is one of the best. The sheltered bay is perfect for safe swimming and at low tide an expanse of golden sand, shallows and fantastic rock pools, makes it a child’s paradise.

A mother and two children play on Carne Beach on the south coast of Cornwall.
Carne Beach is safe and perfect for children of all ages

The beach's very gentle sloping shelf is ideal for small children and older guests, and at low tide a mile of golden sand gives acres of space for a game of beach volleyball or cricket. The sheer size of Carne beach combined with the soft swell of the south coast (no surf boards in sight) means the beach rarely feels busy.

As one disgruntled TripAdvisor reviewer points out, Carne is “flat, wide and with little to fire the imagination”. There are no amusements, no shops and......only the Tea by the Sea food truck and an unpredictable ice-cream van. There’s no surf school, no phone signal and nowhere to launch a jet ski. In other words, on these outrageously beautiful sands, you have to make your own fun. What a disappointment.

SUSAN D’ARCY, 50 BEST BEACHES IN BRITAIN, THE SUNDAY TIMES

Two children play on the sand of Carne Beach, a secret beach near Truro in Cornwall.
At low tide there is acres of sandy space to fun and frolic

Hotel kayaks are available for guests to use on the beach and on windy days, the length of the beach and the bay, make it suitable for sailing, wind surfing or kite-flying.

Carne Beach is a great place to while away a summer's day or enjoy a stroll along the water's edge perhaps catching a glimpse of a dolphin or some of the visiting seals.

A teenage boy out on the water in a canoe by Nare Head
Hotel kayaks are available for guests to use on Carne Beach

DOGS ON CARNE BEACH

Dogs are welcome on the beach throughout the year. During the summer season they should be kept on the lead on the beach during the daytime, though in the morning and evening and during the winter months they can run for miles across the sand.

A child and their dog dig a hole on Carne Beach in Cornwall.

The country house hotel by the sea