Porthallow

Porthallow is a small cove and village on the east coast of the Lizard, about 6 miles south of Falmouth by road and 4 miles south-east of Helford Passage. The cove has a shingle and pebble beach with some coarse sand, and the Five Pilchards pub sits at the top of the beach - one of the few pubs on the eastern Lizard coast. A handful of fishing boats are launched from the beach.

The coast path south from Porthallow reaches Porthoustock (another small cove with a quarry) in about a mile, and then Coverack in about 4 miles. North from Porthallow, the path follows Gillan Creek - a narrow tidal inlet - and then the south side of the Helford River to Helford village. Nare Point, which separates Falmouth Bay from the more exposed Manacle Rocks area, is about 2 miles south on the path.

The Manacles, a reef extending offshore between Porthallow and Coverack, has caused numerous shipwrecks over the centuries and is now a popular scuba diving area. Manaccan village, with its pub and Norman church, is about 2 miles west. Holiday accommodation near Porthallow is limited - mostly in farm cottages and one or two properties near the cove.