St George's Cove
St George's Cove is Padstow's closest beach at just over half a mile from the harbour. The beach gets its name from St George's Well, an ancient holy well/spring located in the lush vegetation that grows behind the beach.
The cove is a sandy inlet facing out into the Camel Estuary. From here there are great views across the waters of the estuary to the sands of rock beach and Daymer Bay. As the tide goes out the sands stretch all the way from St Saviour's Point in the south to the ruins at Gun Point about half a mile to the north. On a full low tide it is possible to walk along the sand to Harbour Cove and Hawkers Cove beyond.
As the tide comes in the beach recedes into the small cove flanked by low cliffs. There is still a fair bit of sand, but it can feel a little crowded on busier days.
Facing east into the estuary St George's Cove is very sheltered, both from the wind and the ocean swells. However, swimming is not advised due to the strong currents in this part of the estuary. In addition, there is no lifeguard cover here.
Type of beach
Sandy
Lifeguard service
No lifeguard cover
Dogs friendly beach?
Seasonal dog ban. Dogs are not allowed on the beach from 1st July to 31st August / 10am to 6pm
Postcode
PL28 8BY
OS grid ref.
SW 9191 7646
Facilities
The closest amenities are in Padstow around half a mile away. There are no facilities on the beach itself.
Parking
The nearest parking is the Harbour car park in Padstow around 1/2 a mile away. However, in the summer this can become full. To avoid Padstow completely you can park in the Harbour Cove car park at Lellizzick. The walk is around a mile.
St George's Cove Reviews (6)
Dogs/people
Local
Jul 11th 2019Indeed a beautiful beach, many memories I have of my childhood there.
Now dogs, as a responsible dog owner i do pick up after them, I think it’s people that need more attention paid to, the litter that is left is disgusting and shameful, but yes let’s have a go at dog owners who in fact for the most part are more responsible because they have to be!
Dog ban ?
We were walking along from Harbour Cove and didn’t realise that St George’s Cove had a seasonal dog ban until we walked off the beach and saw the sign! It’s difficult to stop people walking their dogs along the coast, if they are walking from one cove to another. By the way we always clear up after our dogs.
St Georges cove
Lyn george
Jul 20th 2019Nice beach, wonderful soft sand. Shame there is no toilet because as soon as we get there we have to come running back to padstow
Fantastic beach
It’s my favourite place in the world! Absolutely stupid that it has a dog ban, only ever seen rubbish on the beach and never dog mess, because owners are responsible. Not somewhere that most people take children to anyway as it has no toliets and is a mile back to town. Nobody takes any notice of dog ban anyway it’s so stupid
Dogs
Reviews referring to the dog ban…
It’s not just about cleaning up. We rarely see anything left behind by dogs in Cornwall. Please spare a thought for those who are nervous of dogs and can find some respite here.
Dogs and there owners
Beautiful beach stunning location shame dog owners cant read Dogs Ban sign between Easter Sunday and end of september.Padstow council could earn thousands if they police their own rules shame.