Boscastle Tidal Pool
boscastle
Boscastle’s tidal pool is a Victorian-era sea pool carved into the rock near the harbour entrance, opposite the blowhole.
Tidal Pools in Cornwall
Cornwall has 12 tidal pools and sea pools, from the 1930 sea pool at Bude to natural rock pools carved by centuries of Atlantic swell.
Bude Sea Pool
bude
Bude Sea Pool is a part-natural, part man-made tidal pool on Summerleaze Beach in Bude, North Cornwall.
Chapel Pool
polperro
Chapel Pool in Polperro is a small tidal swimming pool beneath the cliffs just west of the village harbour.
Chapel Rock Tidal Pool
perranporth
Chapel Rock Tidal Pool sits on the seaward side of Chapel Rock, the outcrop on Perranporth Beach that flies the black-and-white flag of St Piran.
Kynance Cove Mermaid Pool
helston
Kynance Cove Mermaid Pool is a natural tidal pool among the rocks of Kynance Cove on the Lizard.
Mousehole Rock Pool
penzance
Mousehole Rock Pool (pronounced "Mowzle") is a tidal pool just south of Mousehole harbour, built by villagers in 1969-70 so local children had a safe place to swim.
Porthtowan Tidal Pool
truro
Porthtowan Tidal Pool is a man-made sea pool at the northern end of Porthtowan beach, tucked beneath the cliffs on Cornwall’s north coast between Porthtowan and Chapel Porth.
Portreath’s Tidal Baths (Lady Basset's Baths)
portreath
Portreath’s Tidal Baths, often called Lady Basset’s Baths, are a series of rock-cut sea baths on the cliffs and shore at Portreath, on the north coast.
Priest Cove
penzance
Wild and rugged, Priest Cove is distinctively Cornish: a rocky beach with the remains of the Victorian mining industry and fishermen’s sheds overgrown by wildflowers.
Trevone Natural Sea Pool
padstow
Trevone Natural Sea Pool, locally known as "Tinker Bunny’s Bathing Pool," is a rock-carved tidal pool tucked just west of Trevone Bay on Cornwall’s North Coast.
Treyarnon Rock Pool
padstow
Treyarnon Bay lies on Cornwall's north coast between Padstow and Newquay and is a popular holiday beach. The sandy beach and Atlantic swell suit surfers and bodyboarders.
Whitehouse Tidal Pool
fowey
Whitehouse Tidal Pool - also known as the Whitehouse Children's Pool - is a shallow sea pool on the Esplanade in Fowey, built in the 1920s.
More about tidal pools in Cornwall
Cornwall’s tidal pools are one of the county’s most overlooked draws. Unlike swimming in the open sea, pools offer contained water that warms faster, with no rip currents and natural shelter from waves. The 12 listed here range from large maintained lidos to remote rock pools discovered only at low tide.
Bude Sea Pool is the largest: a tidal lido that opened in 1930 on the rocks below Summerleaze Beach. It measures roughly 90 metres by 45 metres and is maintained by a community trust. Seawater fills it with each tide. Entry is free. It sits adjacent to the beach and is safe for children once the tide drops.
Lady Basset’s Baths at Portreath are the most historically interesting. Cut into the rock below the cliffs in the 18th century, the baths were created for the Basset family of Tehidy and are now open to anyone at low tide. Several pools cut at different levels fill with Atlantic water as the tide rises.
The Boscastle Tidal Pool sits inside the narrow harbour inlet, sheltered from the open sea by the cliffs on both sides. The Chapel Rock Pool near Perranporth has natural rock formation walls enclosing a pool that’s safe for children well before full low tide. Kynance Cove Mermaid Pool is accessible only at low tide and sits among the serpentine rock formations on the Lizard.
Trevone Natural Sea Pool near Padstow is one of the most accessible, reached from the beach car park in under five minutes. Priest Cove near Cape Cornwall has a small pool popular with local swimmers year-round.
Tide times are critical for all pools listed here. Check before visiting - several are only accessible in the two hours either side of low water.