Tattam’s Beach, Portscathowith a dog
The council order restricts “Tattam’s Beach, Portscatho” for July and August. It took four local sources to establish that Tattam’s is the beach in the village by the slipway — and that Porthcurnick, five minutes up the coast path, is not in the order at all.
Yes, except between 10am and 6pm from 1 July to 31 August — and Porthcurnick, five minutes away, has no restriction at all
Cornwall Council’s Public Spaces Protection Order names “Tattam’s Beach, Portscatho”, restricted 1 July to 31 August, 10am to 6pm. Tattam’s — also written Tatams — is the beach in Portscatho village itself, by the slipway, rather than a separate cove somewhere along the coast: Gerrans Parish Council sites its own public toilets “at Tatams, Portscatho”, and three other local sources use the name for the same place. Porthcurnick, half a mile north on the coast path, is not named in the order, so dogs are allowed there all year.
The rules, and when they apply
The council’s entry for this village uses a name most visitors have never seen on a sign, and getting it right is the whole job on this page — because the beach half a mile north is not in the order at all, and the walk between the two takes about five minutes.
| When | Where | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul – 31 Aug 10am – 6pm | Tattam’s Beach — the village beach by the slipway | No dogs. The council’s own entry is “Tattam’s Beach, Portscatho”. |
| 1 Jul – 31 Aug before 10am / after 6pm | Tattam’s Beach | No restriction. |
| 1 Sep – 30 Jun | Tattam’s Beach | No restriction at any hour. |
| All year | Porthcurnick, half a mile north | Dogs allowed. Not named in the council order. No bins there, though — carry the bag back to the village. |
| All year | Towan Beach and the National Trust coast to St Anthony Head | Dogs allowed, but the Trust asks for a short lead, for ground-nesting birds and livestock. |
What it’s actually like with a dog
Portscatho is a working fishing harbour first and a beach second. There is a stone quay, an old jetty, boats that still fish, and a village whose Cornish name means rowing boat harbour, sitting in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the South West Coast Path running straight through it. Shops, galleries and a pub are directly above the sand, which is a rare thing on this coast.
The beach itself needs expectations managing. Fal River and VisitCornwall both describe it as mainly rocky with sandy patches, best at low water plus or minus three hours — so the sand people picture is largely a low-tide beach, and at high water there is not a great deal of it. It also faces east over Gerrans Bay, one of very few Cornish beaches that do, which means it works in the south-westerlies that ruin the north coast and fails in an easterly.
Getting on to the sand is easy enough: two slipways, both sloping rather than stepped, one down to the harbour and one from River Street. Getting to the village is the harder part, because the car park is above it and the walk down is about ten minutes on a sloping path described as not wheelchair accessible. There is no lifeguard, and boats use the slipway, so a dog wants to be under control near the slip.
The reason to come here with a dog in July and August is that you do not have to stay. Porthcurnick is five minutes from the same car park, is absent from the council order entirely, and is a wide sandy beach backed by fields with a slipway and rock pools. The one catch is bins: there are none at Porthcurnick, and the ones for the village beach are up in Portscatho, so whichever you choose you are carrying the bag back.
Parking at Portscatho, and getting on to the sand
Portscatho car park
Above the village · operator and charges unverified
One small car park uphill from the harbour. Cornwall Beach Guide describes a sloping path down into the village taking about ten minutes and says it is not wheelchair accessible; another guide likewise places the main parking above the harbour with a short walk down through the village. Neither names an operator and we found no published tariff, so read the sign on arrival. Usefully, Porthcurnick is about five minutes’ walk from the same car park, so you can decide which beach to use after you have parked. Postcodes differ between sources — our dataset carries TR2 5HW and VisitCornwall gives TR2 5LW.
Percuil car park
Gerrans Parish Council
A second parish-run car park in the parish, named alongside the Tatams toilets in Gerrans Parish Council’s own facilities. It is not the beach car park and we have no charges for it, but it is the one car park near here we can name an operator for.
Facilities, access and what to watch
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beyond the council order | Gerrans Parish Council runs the public toilets at Tatams and a car park at Percuil but publishes no beach byelaw or dog notice we could find, and we found no harbour authority rule either. If there is one it will be on a sign at the slipway. South of the village, the National Trust land round to St Anthony Head takes dogs all year but asks for a short lead. |
| Porthcurnick | The clean answer in July and August. It is not named in the council order, Fal River states dogs are allowed there, and it is a proper wide sandy beach backed by fields with a slipway and good rock pools at low water — five minutes from the same car park as the village beach. Its dog-friendly status rests on Fal River plus the absence from the order, which is a sound basis but not a council statement. |
| Bins | Fal River notes that the dog waste bins serving this beach are in the village rather than on the sand, and that there are none at all at Porthcurnick. Carry the bag back into Portscatho. |
| Getting on to the sand | Two slipways, both sloping rather than stepped: one down to the harbour, and one from River Street down to the sandy beach. The awkward part is not the beach but the approach — the car park is above the village and the walk down is about ten minutes on a sloping path, described as not wheelchair accessible. |
| Tide | Mainly rocky with sandy patches, and rated best at low water plus or minus three hours. The sand most people picture is largely a low-tide beach; at high water there is much less of it. |
| Wind | One of the very few east-facing beaches in Cornwall, looking out over Gerrans Bay. Fal River gives the working winds as south-easterly, southerly, south-westerly, westerly and north-westerly, and says to avoid strong easterlies — the direction that spoils most of the county’s beaches is the one that makes this one work. |
| It is a working harbour | An active fishing harbour with a stone quay and an old jetty, and boats still working from it. There is no lifeguard, and swimmers are advised to take care around boat traffic. Keep a dog clear of the slipway when boats are moving. |
| Toilets | Public toilets at Tatams, run by Gerrans Parish Council — the wording on the council’s own page is itself part of how the beach was identified. |
| Fresh water | No tap or dog shower is recorded here by any source we could check. Carry your own. |
Dog-friendly pubs and cafés near Portscatho
One place in reach has a dog policy in writing, and it is half a mile away with no road to it. The village pub is listed below because leaving it out would suggest there is nothing here, and there is.
The Hidden Hut
Above Porthcurnick · April to October · cash only
An outdoor beach kitchen about half a mile along the South West Coast Path from Portscatho — roughly a 30 minute walk, with no vehicle access at all. Its own site says “you can even bring your dog if you wish”, and since all the seating is outdoors on a terrace looking back across the bay to Portscatho, a wet dog is not a problem. Open April to October, 10am to 5pm, seven days a week, with lunch from 12 to 3. Cash only and unlicensed, so bring your own wine.
The Plume of Feathers
In the village above the beach · policy unverified
There is a pub directly above the beach, along with shops, galleries and a coffee stop, all within a minute of the sand. We could not reach the pub’s website — the likely domains do not resolve — and no source we found states its dog policy, so ring ahead rather than assume. Guessing here would be easy and wrong.
Local tips for Portscatho
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 Portscatho beach?
Yes, outside 10am to 6pm between 1 July and 31 August. For the other ten months there is no restriction at any hour. The council order names the beach “Tattam’s Beach, Portscatho”, which is the sand in the village by the slipway.
What is Tattam’s Beach?
It is the beach in Portscatho village itself, by the slipway — also written Tatams. Gerrans Parish Council sites its public toilets “at Tatams, Portscatho”, one beach guide calls it an alternative name for Portscatho Harbour Beach, and a parish campsite places Tatams beach by the slipway. It is not a separate cove.
Which beach near Portscatho allows dogs all year?
Porthcurnick, half a mile north on the coast path and about five minutes from the same car park. It is not named in Cornwall Council’s order and Fal River states dogs are allowed there. Towan Beach and the National Trust coast to St Anthony Head also take dogs all year, on a short lead.
Are there dog bins at Portscatho beach?
In the village, not on the sand — Fal River is explicit about that. At Porthcurnick there are none at all, so if you walk up there you are carrying the bag back into Portscatho. Plan for it rather than discover it.
Can I take a dog to the Hidden Hut?
Yes. Its own site says you can even bring your dog if you wish, and all the seating is outdoors on a terrace above Porthcurnick. It is a half-mile coast path walk from Portscatho with no vehicle access, open April to October, and it is cash only.
Is there a lifeguard at Portscatho?
No, in no month. It is also a working fishing harbour with boats using the slipway, so swimmers are advised to take care around boat traffic — keep a dog off the slip when anything is moving.
Is there much sand at Portscatho?
Less than the photographs suggest. Fal River and VisitCornwall both describe it as mainly rocky with sandy patches, best at low water plus or minus three hours. At high tide there is not much beach; at low tide the sand runs on towards Porthcurnick.
Where do you park for Portscatho with a dog?
One small car park above the village, about ten minutes down a sloping path that is not wheelchair accessible. No operator or tariff is published anywhere we could find. From the same car park Porthcurnick is about five minutes the other way, which is the better walk in July and August.
Nearby beaches with a dog
Dog-friendly places to stay near Portscatho
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. The dates and hours are transcribed verbatim from Cornwall Council’s Dogs on Beaches order, which names the beach “Tattam’s Beach, Portscatho” — a name that appears on no sign most visitors will see. We identified it as the beach in the village by the slipway from four local sources: Gerrans Parish Council’s own toilets page, which places its public conveniences “at Tatams, Portscatho”; cornwall-beaches.co.uk, which states that Tattam’s Beach is an alternative name for Portscatho Harbour Beach; a cornwallbeaches.org.uk beach sheet headed “PORTSCATHO or Tatams and Porth Beaches”; and Treloan Coastal Holidays, a campsite in the parish, which places Tatams beach by the slipway. We have not seen a council map pinning the boundary, and a long-standing beachfront cafe in the village carries the same name, so that identification is drawn from local usage rather than from the order-making authority. Porthcurnick’s year-round access rests on its absence from the order plus Fal River, which is also the source for the bins being in the village. 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