Pentewan

Pentewan is a coastal village 3 miles south of St Austell at the mouth of the St Austell River. The village grew around a harbour built in the late 18th century for exporting china clay, though silting eventually closed the port. The sandy beach stretches for about 400 metres and is popular with families. Pentewan Sands Holiday Park occupies a large site behind the beach, with touring pitches, static caravans, and a leisure complex.

The Pentewan Valley Trail follows the old mineral railway line from St Austell down to the coast, providing a flat, traffic-free cycling and walking route of about 3 miles. The trail connects to the wider network of routes around St Austell and the Eden Project, which is about 5 miles north. Bikes can be hired at the valley trail car park. The Lost Gardens of Heligan are 2 miles south along the B3273.

The village has a pub and a small shop. For a wider selection of restaurants and amenities, Mevagissey is about 3 miles south along the coast, and St Austell town centre is 3 miles north with supermarkets and a rail station on the mainline to London Paddington. The coast path runs through Pentewan, connecting it to Charlestown (2 miles northwest) and Black Head (1 mile south).