Surfside Beach Chalet

The Retreat

Surfside is a contemporary beach chalet with uninterrupted sea views, sleeping four. Next to Gwithian’s epic beaches with direct access to wild sand dunes and the Cornish coast path, you can enjoy scenic coastal walks and a wide selection of water sports and activities are all within easy reach from this modest yet spacious dog friendly beach chalet.

Miles of golden sand, scenic coastal walks and a wide selection of water sports and activities are all within easy reach from this modest yet spacious beach chalet, nestled amidst the sand dunes just behind the fabulous Godrevy beach. This comfortable home has been lovingly restored, providing the perfect ‘home-from-home’ feel and is the ideal retreat for couples and small families looking for unbeatable views and excellent proximity to some of Cornwall’s best beaches and towns.

Inside Surfside

Surfside beach chalet is tastefully and practically decorated in greys, clean lines and nautical themes, and whilst it has been recently renovated, you will find that the accommodation maintains a cool beach-side, rustic-chalet feel. Step into Surfside through the bright conservatory that houses a large dining table — enjoy breath-taking sea views every time you dine! The living room is next door, where you will spot stylish and lovely vintage furniture all around, offering a practical and pleasing flooring space with more beautiful sea views…180 degrees from Godrevy to St Ives!

The kitchen is utterly contemporary and very well equipped with a trendy breakfast bar, making it another wonderful area in which to relax with family or friends. The master bedroom (with a king-sized bed) shares the same dramatic views as the conservatory area, so you will be torn between staying in bed and enjoying looking at the beach, or getting out and being on it.

Sun deck at chalet with sea views at Gwithian Towans - Surfside Beach Chalet from Forever Cornwall

The second bedroom is opposite containing two 2’6” beds, and both rooms are finished in crisp white linen. A lovely family bathroom completes the accommodation. The whole chalet is laid out on one level, making it easily accessible for those with mobility issues and has one allocated car parking space nearby; a much-sought after asset in this area! Once outside you’ll find a generous decked terrace that looks out over sand-dunes to the sweep of St Ives Bay, complete with a high-quality barbecue and a cold après-surf outdoor shower. Toys and games complete Surfside and provide all you could ever need for a fabulous holiday!

Bedroom inside chalet with sea views at Gwithian Towans - Surfside Beach Chalet from Forever Cornwall

Things nearby

The beaches here are some of Cornwall’s best. Lifeguarded in the main holiday season, Gwithian and Godrevy boast miles of sand, scores of enticing rockpools great for children, beachcombing, surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing and sun-worship. The miles of marram-covered sand dunes (the “Towans”) are dog friendly at all times, and the South West Coast Path runs for as far as your legs will carry you in either direction.

But of course it’s the view that defines Surfside — you’ll be looking westward across the sweep of the beach to St Ives. At most times of year you’ll enjoy watching the sun plunge over the horizon and the lights of St Ives and Carbis Bay come alive in the darkness over the water. What ever it is that you seek from a fabulous holiday, Surfside is bound to tick all of the boxes.

Beautiful view

Thank you for such a great week — we have had the best time, amazing surf. Awesome rock pool action and fabulous bbq on the beach. The chalet has been perfect and we have all loved it, especially sitting watching the beautiful view whilst having breakfast or coffee or beer! So close to the actual sea too — made carrying all the surfboards up and down very easy!

The Naylors — October 2023

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Features

Retreat Features

Breath-taking views over St Ives Bay
Direct access onto the sand dunes above the beach
Decking in the perfect position to watch the sun set over the sea
Free WiFi
Private parking
A short stroll from local bars and cafés

SLEEPING

Principal bedroom: king bed
Bedroom two: twin beds (2’6)
All bed linen and bath towels provided

COOKING & DINING

Well equipped kitchen with breakfast bar
Dishwasher
Washing machine
Dining table in conservatory
Tea towels provided

LIVING & RELAXING

SMART 32″ TV & DVD player
Stylish furniture

BATHROOM

One family bathroom with walk in shower
Bathroom towels provided

OUTDOORS

Generous outdoor decking area with BBQ
Outdoor shower (cold water)

BABIES & TODDLERS

Travel cot and highchair on request (cot linen not provided)

PETS

Up to two small well behaved dogs welcome, decking area is not dog secure

HEATING

Electric heating throughout

PARKING

Allocated parking for one car

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

Friday standard changeover
Check in after 4pm
Check out before 10am

Location

Gwithian

The beaches of Godrevy and Gwithian Towans are tucked away treasures on the North coast of Cornwall, backed by picturesque sand dunes that run alongside them. These unspoilt, golden beaches stretch along the easterly side of St Ives Bay, and as west facing beaches they bask in the summer sun all day long. With several surf schools lining the beach, Gwithian is a surfing mecca and is an area perfect for those wanting to try surfing for the first time or polish up their skill!

More about this area

Travel times

Surfside Beach House is about 12 miles from the nearest mainline station at Camborne. Regular and convenient services run from all over the UK.
Surfside Beach House is situated in Gwithian Towans, on Cornwall’s North Coast coast adjacent to the delightful village of Gwithian, just five minutes north east of Hayle on the B3301. Driving time from London is around five hours in normal traffic, while Exeter is around two hours away. We’ll send you detailed route information before your departure.

Things we love

A perfect beachside location
Ideal spot for exploring the surrounding West Cornwall area
Just a walk to local bars and cafés
Plenty of coastline to discover at your doorstep

The gwithian guide

Water-sports Wonderland

With its rolling waves, golden sands and stunning sunsets, Gwithian and the surrounding beaches are a watersports lover’s paradise, a stone’s throw from our Gwithian Towans holiday cottages. Seasonal lifeguards serve the beach here, so it’s a safe place for those wanting to get in the water and discover what St Ives Bay has to offer in terms of aquatic adrenaline. Take advantage of Gwithian’s decent swell and jump on a surfboard with the help from our friends at Global Boarders. When the wind whips up, you can join the kitesurfers soaring over the waves.

If you’d rather just get in the water without a board, the sea swimming is simply spectacular. Time it right and you can be out in a calm sea, watching the sun sink below the Atlantic. Or, get up with the larks to have the beach to yourself on a summer morning before even the sand has warmed up. With plenty of shallow waters and rock pools to explore it’s also the perfect place to bring the kids with a bat and ball for some simple family holiday fun.

Safe, sheltered sand pools

Our Gwithian Towans chalets and cottages make an ideal base for families. As the tide retreats back across Gwithian’s golden sands, it reveals a myriad of rock pools and sand pools that heat up under the summer sun, creating safe, warm shallows that are perfect for kids to play in. Gwithian has seasonal lifeguards too, so children can try their hand sea swimming and bodyboarding worry free. For those with a four-legged friend in tow, make for the south-westerly section of Gwithian and the beaches beyond, where dogs are free to frolic, cooling off in the many sand pools along the way.

The vast expanse of beach exposed at low tide serves as a fantastic pitch for beach games, whether it’s rounders, cricket or football. Gathering up a group of friends or family for a match is an idyllic way to spend an evening. For post-game refreshments, head up into the Towans, fire up a barbecue and watch as the sun sinks down behind the Atlantic.

Cornish walking holidays Gwithian South West Coast Path

Miles of coastal footpath

With cliff walks to the east and gentle strolls through the dog friendly dunes to the west, Gwithian has direct access to fantastic walking. Head east along Gwithian beach and you’ll discover the steep cliffs at Godrevy Head, a stark contrast to the gentle slope down to sea level found at Gwithian. Peer carefully over the edge to Mutton’s Cove to count the seals lounging on the beach below, or continue further along the cliff for stunning views of the dramatic north Cornish coastline.

These north cliffs also join up with one of Cornwall’s richest woodland areas, Tehidy Woods. Home to friendly squirrels and a great cafe, these paths provide cooler shady walking during the summer months and sheltered strolls in the winter. Walk west from Gwithian and you’ll be greeted with beach, beach and more beach, stretching all the way to St Ives. With gentle sandy tracks, quiet lanes and almost continuous views across St Ives Bay, this gentle section of the coastal footpath is dog friendly all year round.

Beaches
Food & drink
Things to do

Beaches

Gwithian

Backed by sand dunes, with a gentle golden slope leading down to clear waters, Gwithian’s lifeguarded shores are perfect for beach life. When the wind blows, watch surfers take on the Atlantic waves and kite surfers take to the air, with seasonal lifeguards looking on. If you want to test the waves yourself, you’ll find board hire and lessons, as well as kayaking, paddleboarding and coasteering, at Global Boarders, just behind the dunes. On a calm day, the waters are dotted with swimmers, families playing beach games and kids finding their feet with bodyboards.

Godrevy

With its rocky outcrops, great surf and sheltered shores perfect for sunbathers, Godrevy is the beach for those looking to find their own secluded spot of sand. Godrevy is under the watchful eye of seasonal lifeguards, so children can play happily in the sea, or explore the many rockpools and sandpools. Godrevy beach and the grassy cliff above looks out towards Godrevy Lighthouse, the inspiration behind Virginia Woolfe’s To The Lighthouse. It’s one of our favourite spots to watch the sun set, turning the sky a deep red as the sun slips down behind the lighthouse. The Godrevy Beach Cafe in the National Trust carpark is great.

Gwithian Beach and dunes, St Ives Bay, Cornwall

Hayle’s beaches

Gwithian is flanked to the east by a number of beaches that make up the three miles of sand that stretches across St Ives Bay to Hayle Estuary. Upton Towans, Mexico Towans and Hayle Beach are all dog friendly all year round, and they all interconnect as the tide goes out. The grassy dunes behind them are a perfect spot for a barbecue and there are caves to discover at low tide, just a stone’s throw from our Gwithian Towans chalets. From wartime structures to pillars used to facilitate the extraction of tin from the sand over a hundred years ago, there’s plenty to see for those who don’t fancy lounging in the sun all day.

Food & drink

Sunset Surf cafe at Gwithian beach, Cornwall

Cool cafes

Right on Gwithian’s sand, the quirky Hungry Horsebox Co is housed in a converted horsebox. They do a delicious dhal and great coffee. Set just back from the beach, Sunset Surf Cafe overlooks the beautiful beach and is a great spot for some hearty homemade food and a crisp glass of local cider. It’s also home to the surf school Global Boarders. With its showstopping views, The Jam Pot is an idyllic location for a tea or coffee stop, a mouthwatering bacon sandwich or a generous helping of cake. At the other end of the beach, the kid friendly, dog friendly and surfer friendly Godrevy Beach Cafe serves everything you’d want after a blustery beach walk or surf, from delicious breakfasts to indulgent hot chocolates. Grab a table upstairs for a brilliant view of Godrevy lighthouse.

Pubs and restaurants

A couple of miles up the road, Trevaskis Farm Restaurant is a great place for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Their seasonal lunch and supper menus include dishes such as crusted sea bream and lobster thermidor, and their Sunday roasts are very popular. In the centre of Gwithian, the Red River Inn is open every day for breakfast, lunch and evening meals, with plenty of local produce and Cornish ales on offer. It holds a popular annual beer festival at Easter. Behind the dunes at the far end of Gwithian beach, the Rookpool is full of sandy footed surfers and serves small bites and sharing plates, hearty main meals, such as sea platters and seafood chowders, burgers and ribs.

Eating local in Gwithian and Hayle

With two brilliant farm shops within a couple of miles of the village and delis, ice cream parlours and pasty shops in neighbouring Hayle, it’s easy to get your hands on local produce in Gwithian, from fresh fish and meat to veg and local cheeses.

Find out more about buying local with our handy Local Food Guide to Gwithian.

Things to do

Take to the water

Gwithian is one of the most popular surfing spots on the north coast, and for good reason — it regularly welcomes medium sized clean surf to its shores, so it’s brilliant for all abilities. There are numerous surf schools around Gwithian and Godrevy, including Global Boarders, which is located at the Sunset Surf cafe near the Gwithian Towans carpark. They cater to all ages and abilities, and they also offer coasteering, kayaking and paddleboard hire and lessons, too.

Paradise Park

With over a hundred species of birds, this brilliant wildlife park in Hayle is home to eagles, parrots and flamingoes, as well as Red Pandas, otters, and a petting zoo. Paradise Park caters for all ages too, with penguin feeding, a jungle train, free flying shows and the chance to hold a barn owl, make sure you check out their website to find out when these events are on. If the kids still aren’t tired out, make sure you take them to the Jungle Barn, Paradise Park’s whopping soft play area. A thoroughly entertaining way to spend a day!

Seal spotting

All year round, if you head across Godrevy Point to Mutton Cove and peer carefully over the cliff edge, you should be able to spot the herd of seals taking shelter on the beach down below. Watch them head out to sea and swim, their heads bobbing in the waves like little black buoys, or see fluffy grey pups lollop across the sand. If you’re lucky enough, you may be able to spot them in the water off Godrevy and Gwithian beaches, or take a boat trip with St Ives Boat Company and spot them lounging on the lighthouse island.

Guests Say

Love the beach being so close

We have stayed in Gwithian many times, but my first time here. The conservatory served us well as a craft space during the day. Love the beach being so close and it made people watching so easy. Lovely blustery days with many rainbows. We have loved our stay.

Ruth & Julia — November 2023
Beautiful view

Thank you for such a great week — we have had the best time, amazing surf. Awesome rock pool action and fabulous bbq on the beach. The chalet has been perfect and we have all loved it, especially sitting watching the beautiful view whilst having breakfast or coffee or beer! So close to the actual sea too — made carrying all the surfboards up and down very easy!

The Naylors — October 2023
Very cosy chalet

This is our second visit to Surfside and we have again, had a wonderfully relaxing time. We have watched all the activity on the beach and seals swimming amongst the surfers. The dogs have had a great time and will miss the freedom of the beach and sand dunes. We will return to this very cosy chalet with its amazing views.

Wendy, John & Helen — October 2023
Absolutely fabulous

We had an absolutely fabulous week here again - thank you so much!

Janie & Family — August 2022
Can't go anywhere with a better view

Sea breeze during the heatwave was perfect, almost wall to wall sunshine for the whole week. Only left the Towans for food supplies, can't go anywhere with a better view.

Emma & Family — July 2022
Very chilled

Another lovely week in Surfside, really relaxed and very chilled. Lots of lovely walks, food (pasties!) and wine, what more could you ask for. We are already looking forward to returning.

Christine & Peter — May 2022
Our favourite place

Thank you for a lovely week. We've been here several times and it's our favourite place ever, a very relaxing week. Will hopefully be back next year!

The Webbers — June 2022
Speechless

6th visit to Gwithian, first to Surfside. Speechless! This location beats everything. If we can we will be back. So grateful, thank you.

Lorna & Mike — May 2022
Amazing view

We had a wonderful week at this lovely chalet. We enjoyed the amazing view from the decking. Very sad to leave but we'll definitely come back.

The Mauderer Family — April 2022
The Andrews Family — Christmas 2021
Absolutely magical week

Thank you for an absolutely magical week at Surfside. We've been so toasty and warm here while Storm Barra rolled through. Such a wonderful view. Love all the lovely finishing touches - the little tree, lights and fresh flowers. So welcoming, well equipped and immaculately clean. Thank you. We look forward to our next visit!

Dawn, Andrew & Brian — December 2021
What a location!

I've been visiting Gwithian since the 1960s, but up until this week I've never had a 'front row' view of the beach and headland - and it's been wonderful. What a location! I've not felt like rushing about - all I've wanted to do is potter around the cliffs, dunes, coves and beach locally, and just soak up the peace! Lovely clean and comfortable chalet too - thank you.

Elizabeth — November 2021
Definitely going to return

Arrived here in winds, rain and hail but when we opened up it was warm and toasty and lovely to hear the storm. The chalet is welcoming with all you need. The sea, sand and dunes are the best - what a view. Every day brings something else to see. We loved this place and are definitely going to return.

The Shields — November 2021
Another wonderful week

Thank you for another wonderful week here at Surfside. The weather has been kind to us and so we've made the most of the beach and amazing views. Surfing with the seals was a highlight! Looking forward to next year already.

The Wilsons — October 2021
The perfect place

Here we are again in the perfect place to watch all the brave surfers battling with the weather. Who needs to go anywhere else with such a great beach to walk on! See you again soon Surfside.

Richard & Janis — October 2021
The perfect seaside holiday

Surfside really is the perfect place for the perfect seaside holiday. After an 11 hour journey the view which greeted us was so spectacular we felt that we would have travelled it all over again. The weather has been kind all week, allowing us to enjoy the beach and the sea. We went to St Ives a couple of times and kayaked there one morning too. So many fab places to eat and drink nearby. The sunsets have been so beautiful and we were lucky enough to spot dolphins from the decking which was such a highlight! We really had the best time - we will miss this beautiful view!

Paul, Charlotte & Edward — August 2021
Beautiful location

Surfside is set in a beautiful location to relax and benefits from being a short distance to the shops and bars! We spent a lot of time in the local area exploring and found a lovely restaurant just up the hill - perfect! Thank you.

The Bruce Family — July 2019
The perfect fit

This house is much like a wetsuit, the perfect fit and very hard to leave! It has provided a much needed respite from lives which don't count the sound of the sea in their scores. The lighthouse taunted us: so near yet so far, it appears to be swimmable on a clear day! Speaking of which, we were lucky to count a few amongst our stay, and glorious they were! The conservatory served as a perfect sport from which to launch our assault on cream teas and BBQ'ing fresh fish! All in all, it was a truly wonderful stay!

Mr & Mrs Angier — July 2019
Glorious chalet

We had a fabulous time in this glorious chalet. We loved it because of the fantastic views of Lighthouse Island in the distance. We had a fabulous time as a family. Thank you so much!

The Pinkerton Family — April 2019
Very special place!

A fab week had by all...we didn't want to leave, this is a very special place! We will be back!

The Smiths — April 2019
Sunny and bright

Another wonderful holiday on Gwithian Towans! You just cannot beat this location. We've been coming here for over 20 years and have seen Surfside change so much; the most recent transformation being the best! So very comfortable and stylish, with all of our needs catered for. Comfy beds, a well appointed kitchen and stunning views - what more could you want from a holiday! The weather was not at its best with storms raging but the rugged beauty of the area still shone through and we felt very cosy watching the storms from inside. As we leave the weather is sunny and bright, much like our memories of this years holiday that we shall take home with us.

The Hemming Family — March 2019
We've found our happy place!

Fantastic location - we have found our happy place! Very lucky with the weather and enjoyed the local watersports scene. Lovely walks from the chalet; we have been coming to Gwithian for years and this beats camping! The whole family had a great week, we want to stay forever! Thank you for sharing your amazing home.

Mr & Mrs Sales — February 2019
Views are outstanding

We have had a fantastic week here, thank you. The views are outstanding - I think we could have sat still all week watching. Beautiful walks and runs from the cottage. Seeing the seals and birds was very special. Belly-boarding, surfing and attempts at paddle-boarding were all great fun. The weather was very kind to us and we have been able to enjoy the local cafes sitting outside all week. Hopefully we will be back very soon, and we hope that all who visit here feel as relaxed and happy as we have felt all week.

The Wilson Family — November 2018
A blissful week

A blissful week of sunshine, surfing with seals and lots of cake and coffee at the various local spots. Took the scenic train line to St Ives; definitely the way to go as it avoids the parking chaos. Otherwise, didn't go far - enjoyed walks, reading and the glorious views. A treat in any weather. Thanks for a great stay.

The Fowler Family — October 2018
Can't ask for anything better

This isn't the first time we have stayed in this property, been coming here over ten years or more! Can safely say the property has been refurbished to the best standard we have seen — very relaxing. Can't ask for anything better than this location and view. Been paddling every day even though it's October. It's always a fantastically relaxing holiday. Will definitely be back next year.

The Coles Family — October 2018