At low tide, the dune-backed coastal expanse known as The Towans becomes a single three-mile strand of golden sand, stretching majestically along the eastern curve of St Ives Bay. Look more closely at the map — or wait until the tide comes in — and you’ll see that it’s more than half a dozen separate beaches.
Gwithian Towans with, what is thought to be, the inspiration for Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse in the background.
All are worthy of your attention, but special mention goes to Gwithian Towans, near the north-eastern extremity of the bay. Hemmed in by grassy cliffs and abutting the little National Trust-owned cove of Godrevy — where the slender lighthouse is said to have inspired Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse — it’s a magnet for walkers, swimmers, birdwatchers, families and more.
You might also be treated to marine wildlife. Grey seals can often be sighted basking on the beach around the headland from Godrevy and bottlenose dolphins periodically appear in the waves. All this, yet you’re less than five miles as the gull flies from the restaurants, boutiques and galleries of St Ives.
Portrait of English author Virginia Woolf sitting cross-legged on a couch, with her Cocker Spaniel, Pinka, at her feet, taken in London in 1939.
Grey Seals basking in the sun near Godrevy in Cornwall.
How to visit Gwithian Towans
If driving, parking is available near the beach, which can also be reached by foot, via the South West Coast Path. You can walk to Gwithian Towans via the path from Porthkidney Beach, Portreath Beach, Mexico Towans Beach or from the National Trust car park at Godrev, if you fancy a bit of Woolf-tourism or some seal spotting first.
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