Polzeath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Polzeath
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 The Beach at Polzeath |
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| Population | 1,449 (2001 Census, includes Trebetherick) |
| OS grid reference | SW937788 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | POLZEATH |
| Postcode district | PL27 |
| Dialling code | 01208 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Cornwall |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Polzeath (pronounced "pul-ZETH") is a small village by the sea in Cornwall, England. Its name, Polsegh in Cornish, means 'dry creek'. You can find Polzeath about 6 miles (10 km) north-west of Wadebridge, right on the Atlantic Ocean coast.
Polzeath is famous for its sandy beach, which is a popular spot for holidaymakers and surfers. The beach is about 1,500 feet (457 meters) wide. At low tide, the sand stretches out 1,200 feet (366 meters) from the front. However, when the tide is high, most of the sand is covered by the sea. Sometimes, during very high tides, the water can even reach the car park!
Lifeguards keep watch over Polzeath beach during the summer months, making it a safe place to swim and surf. The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) describes it as a wide, flat beach with good waves. It can get quite busy, especially in summer.
If you're lucky, you might spot dolphins swimming in the bay. The coastline north of Polzeath is also a great place for birdwatching. Many different types of birds can be seen here, especially when they are migrating. Sometimes, you might even see puffins nesting on the small islands offshore.
The main street in Polzeath runs along the seafront. It has shops, pubs, cafes, and restaurants that cater to both visitors and people who live there. There are also several places to camp nearby. The road goes up steep hills at both ends of the seafront, leading to the villages of Trebetherick and New Polzeath.
The South West Coast Path, a famous walking trail, passes through Polzeath. You can walk south towards Daymer Bay or north towards Pentire Head.
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Polzeath's Location and Landscape
The area around Polzeath covers about 40,900 hectares and has several streams flowing through it. The Polzeath Brook starts about 2 miles (3 km) to the east, near St Minver. It collects water from farms and then flows through the Valley Caravan Park campsite, finally reaching the sea across Polzeath beach.
Another stream, the Trenant Stream, is 900 meters long. It also crosses the beach, entering from the north-east side. There's also a smaller stream, 1.5 kilometers long, that flows onto Pentireglaze beach. This beach is sometimes called Baby Bay and is located at the northern end of Polzeath beach. At high tide, Slipper Point separates it from the main beach.
Shilla Mill, an old building at the edge of Polzeath, stands where these streams meet. It was built around 1590 and stopped working as a mill in 1885. It has since been turned into a house.
A Look at Polzeath's Past
In 1911, a Methodist chapel was built on the road leading to Trebetherick. The original building was taken down in 1932 when the village street was made wider. A new chapel opened on April 15, 1933. Since 2006, this chapel has been known as the Tubestation. It is still an active church, holding services every Sunday. During the rest of the week, it operates as a cafe for surfers.
Before 1934, the main street in the village crossed the stream using a ford, which is a shallow place where you can cross a river. There was also a footbridge for people walking, but winter storms sometimes washed it away. Cars had to drive through the water on a sandy area, and sometimes they would get stuck! In 1934, the current road bridge was built, making it much easier and safer to cross.
During World War II, like other beaches in Cornwall, Polzeath beach had barbed wire placed on it. This was done to prepare for a possible invasion by German forces.
In the winter of 2014, big storms changed the shape of the beach. A sand bar, about 1 meter high, formed near the high tide mark. This was something that hadn't been seen before. Over time, this sand bar was washed away, and by 2019, the beach looked like it did before the storms.
Polzeath's Economy and Visitors
Tourism has become the most important part of Polzeath's local economy, especially since the 1800s and 1900s. Many people visit Polzeath for their holidays. For example, David Cameron, who was the UK's Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015, used to holiday there with his family.
Polzeath beach is a popular spot for young people. To help keep everyone safe, a CCTV camera system was put in place in 2023 to watch the beach. Rechargeable floodlights were also added.
The quality of the swimming water at Polzeath is checked by the Environment Agency every year between May and September. In 2020, the water quality was rated as "excellent," based on measurements taken from 2016 to 2019. This means it's a great place for swimming!
Polzeath in Books and TV
Polzeath was a favorite place for the famous poet Sir John Betjeman. He even wrote about it in some of his poems. Another poet, Laurence Binyon, wrote his well-known poem For the Fallen in 1914 while sitting on Pentire Head near Polzeath. He wrote it during World War I.
In the very first Famous Five book by Enid Blyton, the children are disappointed because they can't spend their holiday in Polzeath as they usually do. This shows how popular the place was even then!
The cartoonist Posy Simmonds created a made-up place in Cornwall called "Tresoddit." When the BBC made a short film called Tresoddit for Easter in 1991, they filmed it in and around Polzeath.
Some scenes for the BBC TV show Poldark were filmed at Pentireglaze. This show was based on books by Winston Graham. Graham himself described this area as "an area which could hardly have changed in a century," showing how timeless its beauty is.
Notable People Connected to Polzeath
- Edgar Anstey (1917-2009), a psychologist who worked for the UK government, lived in Polzeath from 1977 until he passed away.
