Confirmed · North Cornwall coast · Landscape

Park Head and Porthcothan

Riding headland and a Nampara beach in Poldark. Open to visitors; allow 1.5–3 hours.

Porthcothan's sandy inlet between low green headlands, with houses on the slopes above — Photo: Philip Halling / Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗

On screen as: Riding headland and a Nampara beach
Access: Open to visitors
Time needed: 1.5–3 hours
Where: Porthcothan, near Padstow, Cornwall

On screen

How Park Head and Porthcothan appears

Park Head and Porthcothan supplied two things: a high, open headland for riding scenes and a sandy beach used as part of Nampara's coast. This is separate from Porthcurno, which is the main Nampara Cove, so if a beach scene looks narrower, with a deep inlet between low cliffs, it may well be Porthcothan. In the story both belong to the coast around Nampara. The real places are on the north coast between Newquay and Padstow, near Bedruthan Steps.

The real place

What you can visit

Porthcothan is a small, sheltered sandy bay with a village shop and a stream running across the beach. Park Head, a National Trust headland about two miles south along the coast path, has Iron Age earthworks and some of the finest views on the north coast, looking down on the rock stacks of Bedruthan Steps. The walk between them is moderately strenuous, with some steep climbs, and there are no facilities between Porthcothan and the Carnewas car park near Bedruthan.

The cliffs at Park Head are high and sheer: keep to the coast path, stay back from the edges and the earthwork banks, and don't attempt to climb down to the beaches below.

National Trust: Poldark's filming locations ↗

Getting there.

Porthcothan has a small car park by the beach. For Park Head, the National Trust car park at Carnewas (Bedruthan Steps) is the nearest, about 20 minutes' walk away, or walk south from Porthcothan on the coast path in about an hour. Buses between Newquay and Padstow pass along the coast road; check the current timetable.

Open in Google Maps ↗Read the visiting guide →

Common questions

Planning a responsible visit

Is Porthcothan Nampara beach?

It was used as a Nampara beach in some scenes, but the main Nampara Cove is Porthcurno in west Cornwall.

How do you get to Park Head?

Park at the National Trust car park at Carnewas, by Bedruthan Steps, and walk north for about 20 minutes, or walk south from Porthcothan on the coast path.

Is Porthcothan good for swimming?

It is fairly sheltered, but rip currents can form, especially at low tide. Check the safety signs and lifeguard cover on the day before swimming.

Plan your visit