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 1930s art deco lido at Bude to natural rock pools carved by centuries of Atlantic swell. No other county comes close.
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 built in the 1930s on the rocks below Summerleaze Beach. It measures 55 metres by 35 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 granite rock face below the cliffs in the 19th century, the baths were created for the Basset family of Tehidy and are now open to anyone at low tide. Three rectangular pools connected by channels fill with clear Atlantic water.
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: a circular pool formed by a collapsed sea cave, 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.
Bude Sea Pool
bude
Bude Sea Pool is a part-natural, part man-made tidal pool on Summerleaze Beach in the popular seaside town of Bude, North Cornwall.
Chapel Pool
polperro
Chapel Pool in Polperro is a secluded tidal swimming spot tucked beneath cliffs just west of the village harbor.
Chapel Rock Tidal Pool
perranporth
Chapel Rock Tidal Pool is a tidal swimming spot beside the iconic Chapel Rock on Perranporth Beach in Cornwall.
Kynance Cove Mermaid Pool
helston
Kynance Cove Mermaid Pool is a natural tidal pool tucked within the rocky cliffs of Kynance Cove on Cornwall’s the Lizard.
Mousehole Rock Pool
penzance
Mousehole Rock Pool, located just south of Mousehole harbour in Cornwall, is a charming, community-built tidal pool dating back to the mid-20th century.
Porthtowan Tidal Pool
truro
Porthtowan Tidal Pool is a secluded sea pool cut into the northern cliffs of Porthtowan Beach on Cornwall’s rugged north coast.
Portreath’s Tidal Baths (Lady Basset's Baths)
portreath
Portreath’s Tidal Baths, often called Lady Basset’s Baths, are a series of historic rock-cut sea pools and tidal baths on Portreath Beach, Cornwall.
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 location with holidaymakers.
Whitehouse Tidal Pool
fowey
Whitehouse Tidal Pool - also known as the Whitehouse Children’s Pool - is a historic tidal sea pool located along the Esplanade in Fowey, Cornwall.