Our Top 10 Cafes for 2022

I’ll use the term cafe loosely. Some of these options aren’t strictly cafes. Eateries that serve food and/or snacks would be more on the money. Most are based in the areas that we operate in…before I get lots of useful suggestions from people. We’ve relied on first hand experiences at these establishments for this blog post.

In no particular order, here are our top 10 :

• Roskilly’s Farm, Lizard Peninsula. As well as having dozens of delightful ice cream flavours and options, you also have a deli and shop, beautiful walks through the grounds, epic wood fired Pizzas and a great menu. Coffee there is fairly standard. Roskilly’s is also surrounded by world class swims. Highly recommend spending a day in the Lizard before a visit.

• Gusto, Newquay. Great food, at reasonable prices. I haven’t actually visited here for about a year but I guarantee if I pop back in the food will be the same high standard. Really good meat and vege options.

• Stones Bakery, Falmouth. If I’m in Falmouth I’ll always make the effort to pop in. Top quality baked goods, great cakes, good coffee and good food, including pizza. Fantastic little cafe too.

• Be Kind Coffee Van, Hayle. You’ll find it at the back of the ASDA car park. It obviously doesn’t sound that glamorous but it’s easy and convenient parking, on the quay….so although you are essentially at the back of a car park, you have some nice views. The couple that run it are lovely and friendly, serves great coffee and some good snacks, including a great facon bagel.

• Newlyn Art Gallery. Some (only a few!) good things did come out of the Covid lockdowns and pandemic. One of those things was the creation of Newlyn Art Galleries outdoor coffee shop. They’ve created an outdoor, enclosed and sheltered cafe area, which includes deckchairs on the adjacent lawn with sea views across Mount’s Bay. They have a selection of toasties and sell great coffee.

• Ellie’s Soul Food Kitchen. Position just before the car park at Kynance, with parking! Really friendly staff and a beautiful outdoor area lie in wait. I also love the idea of a swim at Kynance followed by a coffee and snack. They do Saturday night street food…worth checking their Facebook page as this is seasonal.

• Nauti But Ice, Porthleven. Small cafe in Porthleven, over looking the harbour. Great for storm watching in the summer and chilling out at the harbour in the summer. They offer a good standard of cake, good coffee and great ice cream. Porthleven is also a brilliant town to visit and offers great swimming, in the right conditions.

• The Fat Apple, Porthallow, Lizard Peninsula. The service isn’t always that seamless but it still makes it into the top 10…which speaks volumes for the food. It’s reasonably priced food and they always go the extra mile. Cake is served with beautifully presented, chopped up fruit on top, big sandwiches with very tasty salads… Good stuff. They also have a number of canopies in the gardens, so you can sit comfortably outside in any conditions. Porthallow is usually very safe for swimming, in most conditions. Coffee is served in a cafeteria…so might not completely be your cup of tea if you’re into your coffee.

• Uneeka, Truro. Not that often that we venture inland. When we do…Uneeka is usually on our radar. Lovely little cafe with good everything! Honourable mentions to 108 Coffee House and Pollen, both can be found on Kenwyn St, Truro.

Cornish swims in a strong northerly wind.

You get that horrible strong wind blowing in from the north - where do you swim in Cornwall? Here are some of our suggestions….

Salt Water Images .co. uk

1. Provided the wind isn’t too strong - St Michael’s Mount isn’t too bad. The wind doesn’t have a large fetch to whip up chop, so it remains fairly calm. You have a tail wind on the way out, protection from the island and then you obviously have a head wind on the way back. Swim anti-clockwise as you’ll have a tail wind for the longest stretch and watch out for the ferry on the way back in!

2. If you’re on the north coast and the tides are right…head for the Gannel. Do your research though, you need to get the tides right.

3. You have a number of beaches in the Penzance area, including Mousehole/St Clements Isle, Porthleven area, Rinsey, Prussia Cove…. as well as Porthcurno, Lamorna and Penberth.

4. Lizard area - Kynance (get there early!), Lizard Point or Cadgwith. All stunners. It’s a bit of a drive for most…so do a little mini-tour.

5. Falmouth shouldn’t be too bad. Head for Maenporth and Swanpool areas.

AVOID : You’ll pretty much want to avoid the whole of the north coast and St Ives. There’s not a lot of escape from a strong northly in those areas.

Short Notice Summer Swim Double-Ups

 We trialled this at the end of last summer and it worked really well. This summer we’ll offer our standard 2-3 km short notice swims (short-notice as we check the conditions midweek and then pick the swim based on the forecasted conditions). We’ll also offer shorter distance swim double-ups…so we’ll swim around 1km at two different locations, that are fairly close to each other. These are more of an exploration and as they’re fairly laid back you get more of a chance to get a few coaching tips and ask questions.

Potential Doubles for this summer :

Porthcurno / Penberth or Nanjizal / Porthcurno : Porthcurno is easily one of our favourites and a stunning swimming location. The beauty of Porthcurno is that it also has some stunning swimming ‘neighbours’.

Kynance / Cadgwith : Kynance is Cornish Top 3 swims material. Cadgwith offers the breathtaking ‘Devil’s Frying Pan’ swim, as well as some very cool nearby caves to explore.  

Mousehole / Mount : swimming over to St Clement’s Isle (Mousehole Island) and back. Then swimming off the beach at Marazion.

Porthleven Harbour / Rinsey or Prussia Cove : swimming out of the iconic Porthleven Harbour and back in. Rinsey or Prussia also offer fabulous, peaceful swims.

The Gannel / Polly Joke : Crystal clear water, meets a little Cornish gem.

This summer we’re offering memberships for return/frequent ‘short-notice swimmers’. The membership offers around 1/3 discount – and is only £15! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

Swimming at Lizard Point

I still haven’t done this swim! I’m going to tick this off my swim list this summer! Stunning dipping opportunity here, well worth the drive. Beware that this isn’t a very safe spot to swim. This area is very exposed to the elements and you can get a lot of water movement, in most tidal states.

Swimming at Kynance Cove

There’s no disputing that Kynance is a world class swimming location. The walk down to the beach alone is worth the visit! The only issue with Kynance Cove is the fact that it’s not a very well kept secret…and is usually quite busy. I’ve visited the beach before at 7am and there were a couple of kids on holiday body boarding! Get there early to ensure that you can park.

If you want a magical swim at Kynance Cove get there early. To be honest, once you start swimming you get away from the crowds anyway…but if you want a nice peaceful experience get there before the crowds. If you get there before the crowds be sensible! It is a remote beach, with very limited phone reception. So take precautions, take a friend, check the conditions….be SENSIBLE! At the time of writing lifeguards aren’t present at Kynance during any of the summer. Avoid obviously unfavourable conditions and big tide, particularly when the tide is going out.

Once at Kynance be careful getting down to the beach…it can be slippery and there is often loose gravel and stones under foot. There are 2 ways down, one an access road used for supplies (although the public can’t drive down it) and the second is the public footpath, at the back of the car park. This is steep in places and appropriate footwear is advisable.

Once on the beach there are lots of small stones and boulders to clamber over. I prefer swimming at Kynance at low tide, there’s more sand, better underwater views, easy access to the sandy beach side (far side of the beach) and more room in general.

Once in the water, there are a number of different swim routes. For the less adventurous swimmers I’d advise staying out the front, close to shore or popping through the gap at the far end of the beach (more picturesque on this side) and lots of rock features to swim around and explore. For the more adventurous you can swim around Asparagus Island. It’s around 2km in length. Be aware that you will be out of sight for some time on the swim. Stunning swim though and this swim should be on your bucket list!

If you are feeling adventurous and want to be safe get hold of a local guide.

Swimming in Newquay

Newquay is obviously far better known for it’s surfing but she does offer some fantastic swims as well. The issue with swimming in Newquay is quite simple. Most of the coast faces west / north west…meaning that if the wind is blowing in from that direction with any force you’ll be a little stuck for a flat and sheltered swim.

The summer season often offers high pressures and small swell. So, if you’re planning some swims in Newquay the peak summer seasons might be the time. Even in the peak months if you swim at around 8-9.30am it’ll be nice and quiet. To list but a few (we’ll try) check out :

• Crantock Beach and the Gannel Estuary (we have a safe swimming guide on swimming the Gannel)

• Polly Joke for a mid-high tide wild dip

• Porth Beach at mid-high tide

• Try body surfing! Great fun

There are also short drives up & down to areas like Mother Ivey’s Bay, St Agnes, Porthcothan…. A strong westerly wind may rule out swims in Newquay but St Austell and Charlestown are only a short drive away and generally offer safe swimming conditions. If conditions are horrendous Newquay Harbour and the Gannel may still offer a quick dip option.

Sea Swim Cornwall's Safe swimming Guide - Porthminster

Welcome to Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall. Good all-rounder. Just be aware that parking can be a problem in the main season…even if you get there early! Could be worth parking up at St Erth train station and getting the train in. Great train ride too.

SSC Beach Rater - Gwenver Beach

If you enjoy a quiet beach, a little out of the way…and you don’t have young kids this may well be for you.

SSC Beach Rater - Sennen Cove

I lifeguarded here for a summer and love this beach. A bit of an effort to get to but well worth that effort.

You have it all…surf, sand, sand dunes, walks, great local village. Great all round day out.

Beach Rater - Marazion Beach

We’ve completed a Safe swimming Guide for Marazion. I thought it might be nice to add a beach rater to the area. So here it is :

• Despite the high rating I rarely visit this beach. Possibly a little too busy for my taste. If you’d like a safe, beautiful beach, with plenty to do (a family day out)…then this is for you!

SSC Beach Rater - Bedruthan Steps

A stunning beach but there is a bit of a climb down steep steps. It’s also quite remote, so don’t swim alone or possibly avoid if you have any serious or regular medical issues.

For more info click the link below :

https://www.visitcornwall.com/beaches/toilets-nearby/north-coast/newquay/bedruthan-steps-beach

Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall