About
Chapel Porth is a National Trust beach in a narrow valley below St Agnes Beacon on Cornwall's north coast, with a car park and a tenant-run cafe at the top of the sand. At low tide the beach opens into a vast expanse with caves and the boiler of the SS Eltham, wrecked in 1928; at high tide only a small strip remains. The valley was once a tin and copper mining landscape, now part of a World Heritage Site, and the ruins of Wheal Charlotte and Wheal Coates stand on the heathland above, which glows with gorse and heather from late summer. Reviewers praise the lifeguarded beach and the steep, rocky coast path walks to St Agnes Head and Porthtowan. One tip from visitors: arrive early in summer, as the car park fills by mid-morning. Dogs are welcome on a short lead, but not on the beach in the daytime in July and August. The easy 2.5-mile Chapel Porth to Towan Cross walk starts at the car park.
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- Beach and coastSee opening notes
Opening times may change at short notice.
The National Trust publishes no opening calendar for Chapel Porth; the beach, valley paths and coast path are open access, reached from the Trust car park or the South West Coast Path.
Toilets with an accessible toilet are at the car park; the trail page describes them as seasonal. The cafe is tenant run, not National Trust. Lifeguards are seasonal.
Access onto the beach is very uneven and the paths up the valley and onto the coast path are steep. The area is pitted with mine shafts, so keep to the paths and away from cliff edges.
Dogs are welcome on a short lead across the site, but Cornwall Council's seasonal restriction bans them from the beach between 10am and 6pm from 1 July to 31 August. Do not leave dogs in cars, as the car park has little shade.
Photo: Late afternoon at Chapel Porth from the South West Coast Path. Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:On_South_West_Coast_Path_-_late_afternoon_at_Chapel_Porth_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7374904.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
Dogs at the location: Allowed with restrictions. Dogs are welcome across the whole site on a short lead, but are banned from the beach between 10am and 6pm from 1 July to 31 August under Cornwall Council's seasonal restriction.
Dog walks in the grounds: Allowed. Dogs can walk up and around the valley, the coast path and the beach outside the summer daytime ban, kept on a short lead to limit wildlife disturbance; free access, no ticket needed.
Dog walks in the surrounding area: Allowed. The Trust's Chapel Porth to Towan Cross walk leaves the valley along a minor road and the bridleway towards Porthtowan, returning by the coast path; the trail page welcomes dogs under close control for the whole route.
Leads: Short lead across the site; under close control on the Towan Cross trail.
Seasonal dog restrictions: No dogs on the beach 10am to 6pm, 1 July to 31 August (Cornwall Council restriction).
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Walking routes2 routes
Chapel Porth to Towan Cross walk(opens the full route on the National Trust site)
WalkeasyDog friendly4 km distance
