Par Beachwith a dog
Wide, flat and open all year, with a level walk on from the car park — and a working china clay site at one end of the view, which is the honest bit most guides leave out.
Yes — all year, at any hour, with no restriction of any kind
Par does not appear in Cornwall Council’s Dogs on Beaches order, and the beach’s own site puts it beyond doubt: “Dogs are still welcome all year round on the beach.” The site is run day to day by Friends of Par Beach, a volunteer group working alongside Cornwall Council, and their only ask is that you pick up after your dog and keep it under control, particularly near the bird lake behind the dunes. That is a request from the people who manage the nature reserve rather than a byelaw, but it is the request of the people whose beach it is.
The rules, and when they apply
There is not much of a rules table to write here, which is the point of the beach. Par is one of the few places on this stretch of coast with nothing to work around, and the table below is mostly there to show what its neighbours do so you know when to come here instead of somewhere else.
| When | Where | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| All year, any hour | Par Beach and the dunes behind it | No restriction. Par is absent from Cornwall Council’s order, and the beach’s own site says dogs are welcome all year round. |
| All year | The bird lake and the nature reserve behind the beach | Dogs under close control. A request from Friends of Par Beach, who manage the Local Nature Reserve. Not a byelaw, but it is their site. |
| 1 Jul – 31 Aug 10am – 6pm | Readymoney Cove, Fowey | No dogs. Cornwall Council order — which is why Par is the summer answer for Fowey. |
| Good Friday – 30 September | Polkerris, two miles west | No dogs on the sand. The beach operator’s own rule, not the council’s, and it runs all day. |
What it’s actually like with a dog
The honest description of Par is that the view splits in two depending which way you face — “lovely rural views or a contrastingly industrial view of the adjacent china clay works and Par docks”, as the regional guide puts it. That is worth knowing before you drive over, because nobody else says it. The docks stopped shipping china clay in 2007, with the loss of around 200 jobs, and the clay exports moved to Fowey; Imerys still runs a milling centre and a grade dryer on the site. So it is a quieter industrial backdrop than it once was, not a derelict one, and it occupies one end of the view rather than all of it.
What you are actually walking on is wide, south-facing sand backed by low dunes with a great many paths through them and a small freshwater lake behind. The dunes here are growing rather than eroding, which is unusual in this country. The beach slopes gently enough to be described as ideal for paddling, and it holds a good depth of sand even at high water, so a trip is not hostage to the tide table the way it is at every cove between here and Fowey.
The catch is exposure. There is very little shelter from the south-west, so it can feel raw here on a day when a cove two miles away would take the edge off. On those days the site itself is the answer rather than the sand: the South West Coast Path and the Saints’ Way both run through, there is a nature trail round the bird lake, and Friends of Par Beach ask for dogs under control near the water there because of the birds.
It is volunteer-run rather than a commercial beach operation, which is why there are benches, bins, a management plan and a Time and Tide Bell on the shore.
Parking at Par, and getting on to the sand
Par Beach car park, the main one behind the sand
PL24 2AS · operator disputed · cards accepted
The big car park directly behind the beach, with a short level walk on. There is more than one operator on this site and what you pay depends which end you park at, so read the machine rather than assuming. Cornwall Council’s own record describes a 300-space council car park here, charged 9am to 4pm and free 4pm to 9am, with a higher tariff from 1 April to 31 October, a flat winter rate from 1 November to 31 March, and payment by coin, chip and PIN, contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay or JustPark (location code 8433). Friends of Par Beach say the main car park at the eastern end has been privately run since April 2021, with its own tariff and its own hours of 9.30am to 5pm year round. Both accounts cannot cover the same spaces, so budget for paying whichever it turns out to be.
The two small areas by the toilets
PL24 2AS · Cornwall Council · small charge · motorcycles free
Opposite the bird lake behind the beach, level, and right next to the public toilets. Friends of Par Beach say Cornwall Council manages the rest of the site including these two areas. A small charge applies and motorcycles are free.
Facilities, access and what to watch
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beyond the council order | Par Sands is managed as a Local Nature Reserve, with a management plan and a bird lake behind the dunes. Friends of Par Beach, the volunteer group that runs the site alongside Cornwall Council, ask visitors to pick up after their dogs and to keep them under control, especially near the lake. That is a request rather than a byelaw — but it is the landowner’s request, and it is the reason there are bins and benches here at all. |
| Getting on to the sand | The car park sits directly behind the beach and the walk on is short and level, on a made path with further paths through the low dunes. One thing to know: the wooden ramp that used to run down on to the sand was removed after it deteriorated, so the last move is a short step off the path on to sand rather than a graded ramp. |
| Tide | Par keeps a large amount of sand even at high water, which is unusual on this coast and is the practical reason to choose it over a cove. There is a walk here at any state of tide. |
| Currents and the river | Warning signs on the beach indicate strong undercurrents, and there is no lifeguard cover to fall back on. Swimming in the river is prohibited and so is the use of inflatables in it; the signage covers both. |
| Lifeguards | No RNLI cover at Par. We could not find an RNLI page for Par to confirm the negative, but no source contradicts it — treat the beach as unguarded. |
| Toilets | Public toilets including an accessible toilet, opposite the bird lake behind the beach, with the two small parking areas beside them. |
| Food | A two-storey beach cafe on the site, opened in June 2016, and another cafe along the road behind the beach. We could not verify the beach cafe’s dog policy from any source, so it is a cafe here rather than a dog-friendly cafe. |
| Bins and fresh water | Dog waste bins are provided around the site — which is not something we can say about most beaches in this group. No freshwater tap or dog shower was verified, so carry water. |
| Walks off the sand | Both the South West Coast Path and the Saints’ Way run through the site, and there is a nature trail around the bird lake and a network of paths through the dunes. Enough to make a morning of it when the tide or the wind rules the beach itself out. |
Dog-friendly pubs and cafés near Par
Verified dog-friendly venues are thin here. Only one states a policy in its own words, and it is two miles away at Polkerris — the rest are directory listings we are not prepared to pass on as fact.
The Rashleigh Inn
Polkerris, about two miles west · dogs throughout
On the sand at Polkerris, at the bottom of the hill. Its own site says “Wet dogs and other pets welcome throughout the pub and dining room” — not a garden-only or bar-only welcome, and the wording anticipates a dog straight off a beach. Worth knowing that the beach at Polkerris itself is closed to dogs from Good Friday to 30 September, even though the pub is not.
The beach cafe at Par
on the site · dog policy not verified
A two-storey building opened in June 2016, run as part of the site, with another cafe along the road behind the beach. We could not verify a dog policy for either from any source, so treat them as cafes rather than as dog-friendly cafes and ask at the door.
The Ship Inn, Polmear and the Royal Inn, Tywardreath
nearby · single-directory listings only
Both are named as dog friendly by dog directories, and the Ship is the closest pub to the beach, but neither states a policy on a site of its own and one listing for the Royal says nothing about dogs at all. That is below the bar we set, so we are flagging them rather than recommending them. Ring ahead.
Local tips for Par
Signage changes, car parks fill, streams run dry. If you walk this beach, add what you know — which car park still has spaces at 11am, where the water is, which end stays quiet in August.
No tips yet.
Be the first — anything you’d tell a friend before they drove down.
Questions people ask
Are dogs allowed on Par Beach?
Yes, all year and at any hour. Par does not appear in Cornwall Council’s Dogs on Beaches order, and the beach’s own site states that dogs are still welcome all year round. Friends of Par Beach, who manage the site, ask that dogs are kept under control near the bird lake.
Is Par Beach good for an old dog?
It is the easiest beach in this group. The car park is directly behind the sand, the walk on is short and level on a made path, and the beach is wide and gently sloping. The wooden ramp on to the sand was removed when it deteriorated, so expect a short step down at the end.
Does Par Beach have sand at high tide?
Yes, a large amount of it, which is unusual along this coast and is the main reason to choose Par over a cove. If the tide is in and you still want the walk, the dune paths, the nature trail around the bird lake and the coast path all run through the site.
Where do you park at Par Beach?
In the main car park directly behind the beach, or in the two small areas beside the public toilets opposite the bird lake. There is more than one operator on the site and the charge depends which end you park at — both take cards, and it is worth reading the machine rather than assuming.
Are there lifeguards at Par Beach?
No RNLI cover. There are warning signs about strong undercurrents, swimming in the river is prohibited and inflatables are not allowed in it. With nobody watching the water, that signage is the whole of the safety provision here.
What is the view like at Par Beach?
It splits in two depending which way you face — rural one way, and the adjacent china clay works and the former Par docks the other. The docks stopped shipping clay in 2007, but Imerys still runs a milling centre and a grade dryer there, so it is a working backdrop rather than a derelict one.
Can I walk a dog at Par Beach in July and August?
Yes, with no restriction at all, which is what makes it the summer answer for this stretch. Readymoney Cove at Fowey is closed to dogs 10am to 6pm through both months, and Polkerris keeps dogs off the sand from Good Friday until 30 September.
Is there a dog-friendly pub near Par Beach?
The Rashleigh Inn at Polkerris, about two miles west, says on its own site that wet dogs and other pets are welcome throughout the pub and dining room. Two pubs nearer the beach are described as dog friendly by directories, but neither states a policy of its own, so we are not listing them.
Nearby beaches with a dog
Polkerris
About a mile south-east. Owner bans dogs Good Friday to 30 September.
Readymoney Cove
A couple of miles south-east. Restricted 1 July – 31 August.
Porthpean
4 miles south-west. Restricted 1 Jul – 31 Aug.
Pentewan
6 miles south-west. Private beach — dogs banned all year.
Talland Bay
9 miles east. Open all year; one guide reports a lead rule.
All of Cornwall
The council’s full list of 49 restricted beaches, with dates and hours.
Dog-friendly places to stay near Par
Somewhere your dog is genuinely welcome rather than merely permitted — enclosed outside space, somewhere to rinse sandy paws, and no surcharge surprises on arrival.
Dog-friendly cottages in Cornwall →Report a correction
Restriction dates get revised, car parks change hands, signs go up without notice. Tell us what you saw and we’ll check it against the council and update this page.
Checked 1 August 2026. That dogs are welcome here all year is transcribed from Friends of Par Beach’s own beach information page, which states: “Dogs are still welcome all year round on the beach.” Par does not appear in Cornwall Council’s Dogs on Beaches order, so nothing restricts it seasonally. One thing is deliberately absent from this page. No single parking tariff: Cornwall Council’s car park record for “Par Beach, PL24 2AS” describes a 300-space council car park with council tariffs, while Friends of Par Beach say the main car park at the eastern end has been privately run since April 2021 with its own tariff and its own hours, and both cannot be describing the same spaces. Restrictions are reviewed between seasons; this page records the position for the 2026 season. Reviewed by Dr Elizabeth Adey · Last checked August 2026 · Report a correction