Despite being surrounded by a lush 140-acre woodland and ‘striking’ castle, this secluded stretch of golden sands has been named and shamed due to its ‘poor’ water quality
A ‘beautiful’ beach with sugar-like sand has slowly witnessed its reputation sink into the gutter. Tucked away on the south Cornish coast, with a ‘striking backdrop’ of the 200-year-old Caerhays Castle and its 140 acres of woodland gardens, lies the secluded family beach of Porthluney.
South-facing for maximum sunlight, the tiny cove – which is privately owned – has long been popular with Brits. On Trip Advisor, the beach has a slew of five-star reviews, with many describing the area as ‘lovely’ and ‘picturesque’.
However, most praise for the beach appears to be written several years ago, including one traveller who posted back in 2023: “I have visited this beach twice: once when the tide was right out and again when it was in. It is what beaches should all be about – with little rock pools and beautiful sand. Plus, very much a bonus, there’s a lovely cafe selling delicious food nearby.”
Others dubbed the beach a ‘beautiful’ spot that is perfect for a day of family fun. Even Visit Cornwall, the area’s official tourist board, states on its website: “There’s plenty of room for beach games and exploring the rocks on the west side at low tide. The beach is excellent for swimming.”
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However, Porthluney has recently been named and shamed, after winning an unwanted ‘Brown Flag Award’ for the second consecutive year. UK travel firm holidayparkguru.co.uk granted the beach the tongue-in-cheek gong as part of its ‘top of the plops’ guide.
The company analysed official data from the Environment Agency to figure out which beaches had the worst water quality. While not endorsed by any government body, the ‘awards’ shed light on some of the UK’s grubbiest seas. The firm has even offered to send Porthluney a ‘tasteful’ brown flag with a poo emoji to ‘warn swimmers’.
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“Some of the worst water cleanliness readings were found at beaches at popular resorts including Blackpool, Weston Super Mare, and Bognor Regis,” explained holidayparkguru.co.uk. “This doesn’t necessarily mean the whole beach is ‘poor’ for bathing – it is sometimes just one section of beach.
“The water quality readings are based on readings taken in the warmer months (i.e. May 15th to September 30th). The sea is less likely to be clean in winter, as it rains more which leads to more unpleasant stuff overflowing into rivers and into the sea.”
The Brown Flag Awards – full list of winners
Winners of the Brown Flag had to score the lowest possible ‘poor’ rating from the Environment Agency’s water quality tests. This may be due to levels of bacteria such as e-coli from sewage and other waste. In alphabetical order by county, the winners are:
- Porthluney in Cornwall
- Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary in Devon (Poocomer for 2025)
- Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset (Poocomer for 2025)
- Southsea East in Hampshire
- Deal Castle in Kent (Poocomer for 2025)
- Dymchurch in Kent (Poocomer for 2025)
- Littlestone in Kent
- Blackpool North in Lancashire
- St Annes North in Lancashire
- Heacham in Norfolk
- Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay, and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway in Somerset
- Dunster Beach in Somerset
- Blue Anchor West in Somerset (Poocomer for 2025)
- Bognor Regis, Aldwick in Sussex
- Worthing Beach House in Sussex (Poocomer for 2025)
- Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear
- Littlehaven Beach in Tyne and Wear (Poocomer for 2025)
- Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire
- Bridlington South Beach in East Riding of Yorkshire
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