Great Western Beach is a public beach that is accessed via a narrow roadway alongside the Great Western Hotel. If you don’t want to venture all the way down, then at the top there’s a fenced off viewing area with some benches, where there’s plenty of room if you’re with somebody in a wheelchair or if you have buggies etc with you.
There is no parking at Great Western Beach at all. The nearest public car park is across the road at Newquay Station car park, which is pay and display.
There are a couple of small caves on Great Western Beach – and when the tide goes out it’s possible to walk from here to Tolcarne Beach and even to Lusty Glaze Beach in one direction – or all the way to Newquay Harbour in the other direction.
If you’re staying at the Hotel Victoria, it has a lift that goes down to the beach (need to check if that’s still working as there was a little …. accident … with it a few months ago), the lift entrance is at Great Western Beach, just round the first set of rocks.
There is a small shop selling basic beach items and ice creams and there are some public lavatories, both at the bottom of the access road. There’s a lifeguard on Great Western Beach through the summer season.
Services on Great Western Beach, Newquay
- Car Parking: No, park near the station at the top
- Public Lavatories: Yes
- Easy Access for Wheelchairs and Prams: No, the access road is quite steep, it’s possible to push a pram/wheelchair if the occupant weighs a lot less than you do
- Food Available: Yes, although very limited
Where to Stay Near to Great Western Beach
The Great Western Hotel is at the top of Great Western Beach, overlooking it.
The Victoria Hotel has a guest lift down to the beach (check if it’s operating as it is very dated and there was an accident with it last year which involved emergency services to free the trapped occupants), from there you can walk round to Great Western Beach if the tide’s not full.
Postcards of Great Western Beach, Newquay
I love to see how beaches have changed over the years, below are a few old postcards of Newquay:
remwbay newquay postcard great western
Back to: Beaches in Newquay
Photography by: N/A
