Local Area · The Seven Bays
The Seven Bays, on your doorstep
A string of golden, surf-washed beaches between Padstow and Constantine — most a short drive from the park. Choose your bay below.
Cornwall’s surf coast
A run of beautiful beaches between Padstow and Constantine
Atlantic Bays sits in amongst the famous Seven Bays — the string of surf beaches that curls along the North Cornwall coast between Padstow and Constantine. They range from broad, family-friendly sands with surf schools to small, secluded coves with a proper reef break, and most are roughly a ten-minute drive from your pitch.
The South West Coast Path links many of them on foot, so you can leave the car behind and walk the clifftops from one bay to the next. Pick a beach below to find out what to expect — the waves, the rockpools and who each one suits.
Choose your bay
The Seven Bays, minutes from the park
From a first surf lesson at Harlyn to the wild Atlantic swell at Booby’s, each of the seven has its own character. Explore them one by one.
A little further along
More beaches nearby
Beyond the historic seven, two more favourites are an easy day out — calm, estuary-sheltered Daymer and the laid-back surf town of Polzeath.
Calm — family & windsurfing
Daymer Bay
A sheltered, gently shelving bay on the Camel Estuary with calm water for swimming and paddling, fringed by dunes and coastal paths.
- Sheltered
- Great for swimming
Beginner & intermediate
Polzeath
One of North Cornwall's best-known surf beaches, with reliable waves, a surf school and a relaxed seaside-town feel right by the sand.
- Surf school
- Shops & cafés
Which beach for which surfer?
Match the waves to your ability
New to surfing? Head for the surf schools and forgiving waves at Harlyn or Polzeath. Building confidence? Constantine offers a bigger, stronger beach break. Experienced and after something quieter? Treyarnon’s reef break rewards those who know what they’re doing. For a calm family paddle, Daymer and Trevone are the gentlest of the bunch.
First-timers & families
Harlyn Bay and Polzeath — surf schools on the sand and beginner-friendly waves.
Building confidence
Constantine Bay — a broad beach break with stronger, more consistent surf.
Experienced surfers
Treyarnon Bay — a quieter cove with a reef break for confident surfers.
Calm swims & rockpools
Daymer Bay and Trevone Bay — sheltered water and rockpools for little ones.
A sense of place
The nearest surf beach
Constantine Bay is the closest surf beach to the park and the one most guests head for first. It faces west into the Atlantic, so it keeps a wave when the more sheltered bays have gone flat, and the dunes behind it make it a good spot to sit out a squall. The sea sits around 9–10°C in late winter and 16–17°C by September, and RNLI lifeguards patrol through the summer season — their beach pages carry this year’s dates and flag times.
Stay here to explore
Wake up minutes from the Seven Bays
Base yourself at Atlantic Bays and a different bay is yours each morning — in a lodge, a cabin or your own pitch. Lodges, cabins and chalets are booked through Hoseasons and pitches through Pitchup, and the dates and prices are shown on their sites. Or take a look at the ways to stay first.