Polzeath Beach Webcam – Watch the Surf Roll into Hayle Bay

The Polzeath Beach Webcam looks across Polzeath beach in north Cornwall from the cliff top on its south-west side, with the sand of Hayle Bay running out toward the green slopes of Pentire headland. The camera is mounted on Polzeath House, the pink William IV house that stands right on the beach, so the frame drops from grassy cliff and dark rocks in the foreground to a long sweep of sand, lines of white Atlantic surf and the open sea on the left. Beyond Pentire Point, the small rock island of Newland sits on the horizon. The tide changes the picture more than anything else. At low water the beach stretches far out and people cross wet, shining sand, while at high tide the sea comes in to wash the cliffs right below the camera.

About Polzeath Beach

Polzeath is a small resort in the parish of St Minver, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north-west of Wadebridge on the Atlantic coast. Its beach faces onto Hayle Bay, and at low water the sand is around 460 meters (1,500 feet) wide and reaches about 370 meters (1,200 feet) out from the seafront. The houses on the slope at the right edge of the frame are on the New Polzeath side, above the north end of the beach. The 2001 census counted 1,449 people in Polzeath and neighboring Trebetherick together. The beach car park sits on the sand itself, which is why a van or a car out on the beach is nothing strange in this view.

The host building is a family house that its owners occasionally let out, a William IV house known as the Pink House and a well-known landmark here. At high tide the sea washes the cliffs beneath it, and when the water drops back a few rocky steps lead down to the beach. The owners describe the feed as Full HD with a little sound, and the current YouTube stream has been running since May 2022.

The headland filling the right of the frame is Pentire Head, about 2.6 square kilometers (1 square mile) of pillow lavas with its coastline owned by the National Trust. Pentire Point, the tip nearest the open sea, is its north-west corner, and Newland, sometimes called Puffin Island, lies about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) north-west of the point. Laurence Binyon wrote the Remembrance poem “For the Fallen” in 1914 while sitting on Pentire Head, and a plaque erected in 2001 commemorates him.

Surf is the other reason people check this camera. Polzeath is a wide, flat beach with some shelter from the wind, and it picks up good quality waves as the Atlantic swell rolls into Hayle Bay. From the cliff top you can count the lines of white water coming through and see how far the waves run up the sand before you drive down.

Weather and Climate in Polzeath

Polzeath has a mild, damp maritime climate. Averages for the bay over 2015 to 2024 put winter days around 10 C (50 F) and nights around 6 C (43 F). April days reach about 13 C (55 F) and May about 15 C (59 F), while July and August afternoons average 19 C (66 F) with nights near 15 C (59 F). Rain peaks from October to January, when December averages about 140 millimeters (5.5 inches), and April and May are the driest months at roughly 60 millimeters (2.4 inches).

The sea lags behind the air, dropping to about 10 C (50 F) in February and March and climbing to about 17 C (63 F) by August. On the camera, summer often means a crowded beach, and with dogs banned from the main sand on summer days, the dog walkers return in autumn and winter. Winter brings shorter days, heavy grey skies and the windiest weather of the year, when the bay can fill with white water.

Things to Do Near Polzeath

The South West Coast Path runs right through Polzeath, from Daymer Bay in the south to Pentire Head in the north. Heading north from the beach, it climbs past Pentireglaze, where the BBC filmed scenes for its 1975 Poldark adaptation and where the small beach known as Baby Bay sits under the cliffs, then on around Pentire Point to The Rumps. Three ramparts of an Iron Age cliff castle from the second century BC still cross the narrow neck of land there, and The Mouls, an island about 275 meters (300 yards) north-east of The Rumps, supports colonies of seabirds.

South along the coast path, Greenaway Beach takes dogs all year, and Daymer Bay is about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) from Polzeath. The poet laureate Sir John Betjeman spent a lot of time in this corner of Cornwall, and Polzeath turns up in Enid Blyton’s Famous Five novels. Rock is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away, Trebarwith Strand about 18 kilometers (11 miles), and Padstow about 24 kilometers (15 miles) by road.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More beaches and coast to watch, in Cornwall and further afield:

• Perranporth Beach Webcam
• Boscastle Webcam
• Bondi Beach Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Polzeath Beach located?

On the Atlantic coast of north Cornwall in south-west England, in the parish of St Minver. It faces onto Hayle Bay just south of Pentire Point, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north-west of Wadebridge.

What can you see on the Polzeath Beach Webcam?

The view runs from the cliff top on the south-west side of the beach across the sand to Pentire headland, with the open Atlantic and Newland island on the left and grassy cliff and rocks in the foreground. The tide decides how much beach is showing.

Does the Polzeath Beach Webcam have sound?

Yes. The owners of Polzeath House describe the stream as Full HD with a little sound, right down to the odd dog barking.

Is Polzeath a good beach for surfing?

Yes. It gets good quality surf from the Atlantic swell and is often very crowded in summer. Lifeguards patrol it in summer, and beach guides warn of large breaking waves and strong undercurrents.

Can you park on the beach at Polzeath?

Yes. A small car park sits on the sand at the top of the beach. It fills quickly in peak season, and exceptionally high spring tides can flood it. There are also field car parks above the cliffs and on the approach road.

Are dogs allowed on Polzeath Beach?

Not on summer days. Dogs are banned from Polzeath Beach from 15 May to 30 September between 10am and 6pm. Greenaway Beach, a short walk south on the coast path, allows dogs all year.

What is the island off Pentire Point?

The small rock island to the left of Pentire Point is Newland, sometimes called Puffin Island. The Mouls is a different island, off The Rumps on the far side of the headland and out of the camera’s view.

What is the weather like in Polzeath?

Mild and often damp. Winter days average about 10 C (50 F) and summer afternoons about 19 C (66 F), with the most rain from October to January.

Source: Polzeath House