Port Gaverne is a tiny hamlet clustered around a sheltered cove half a mile east of Port Isaac. The beach is moderately sheltered and is a good family beach with amenities close by. There are plenty of rocks and crevices to keep kids happy and the road leads right on to the beach so it's an ideal launching spot for boats. At high tide the cove is an excellent location for diving.
Port Gaverne was originally developed as a nineteenth century industrial port. Grey slate from Delabole Quarry, five miles away, was loaded onto heavy sailing ketches too wide for Port Isaac. After losing most of its trade when the North Cornwall railway line to Wadebridge opened in the 1890s, Port Gaverne reverted to a sleepy fishing cove.
Port Gaverne
Today, the hamlet mainly consists of holiday homes, although there is a seasonal beach shop and a pub overlooking the water. There is also the Port Gaverne Hotel - a top notch restaurant and friendly traditional pub displaying a collection of local paintings. Further up the valley is a great campsite run by a really helpful, friendly farming family and roamed by free range chickens!
At the more expensive end of the accommodation scale is the Bay Hotel perched up on the cliffs to the north of the beach with impressive views.Although there is limited parking in Port Gaverne itself, the big car park on the hill towards Port Isaac is a short walk from both ports.
The beach at Port Gaverne is maintained by the National Trust.
