Boardmasters walkers warned: Porth to Whipsiderry route closed

If your plan for reaching Boardmasters this week runs along the coast, check the route before you set off. One stretch of the Newquay shoreline has no way through at the moment, and the lifeguards who patrol it are asking people not to chance it.

No way through between Porth and Whipsiderry

Newquay’s RNLI lifeguards have warned that there is no access between Porth and Whipsiderry beaches. The beach route is cut off by the tide, and the steps down to Whipsiderry remain closed after a rockfall. Put the two together and there is no through route along that part of the coast.

Anyone heading to Boardmasters on foot needs to know that before they leave, because the gap only becomes clear once you are already down on the sand.

Why the headland is a trap on a rising tide

With the steps shut, the temptation is to keep going along the beach or to try to get around the headland. The lifeguards are clear that you should not.

“Please don’t attempt to walk around the headland or continue along the beach, as you could become trapped by the incoming tide with no safe way out,” they said.

What to do instead

Their advice is to plan your journey before you go and to set off knowing that Whipsiderry beach cannot be reached. If you are visiting the coast, choose a lifeguarded beach and check the local safety information first.

And, as the lifeguards put it, look after your mates.

For now, the steps stay closed because of the rockfall, and on a rising tide the beach does the rest.