Mawgan Porth.

Mawgan Porth is a west-facing sandy beachbreak sitting roughly six kilometres north of Newquay, where a small stream drains onto the beach and shapes two distinct sandbanks. The southern bank, influenced by the river mouth, tends to produce lefts, while a wedging effect off the northern cliffs gives the right-hander there a useful extra push. Both peaks run 50-100m and can be fast, but the bay is genuinely fickle: outside of a clean, small-to-medium swell the whole beach tends to section and close out. It fires best from low tide pushing through to mid, when the banks open up properly; high water brings backwash and the wave quality drops off noticeably. WNW groundswell is the preferred angle, with easterly winds keeping it clean. Winter, particularly around February, delivers the most consistent clean conditions. On bigger swells the bay closes out quickly and rips strengthen, so this is not an all-conditions venue. The spot is used regularly by surf schools for beginner lessons in small surf, and genuinely suits intermediates looking for uncrowded alternatives to the busier Newquay breaks. Weekends can get busy when conditions align, though it never reaches the pressure of Fistral or Watergate. Bedruthan Steps, a few kilometres north, offers a rougher but comparable beachbreak option when Mawgan Porth is not working.

Sandbars at both ends, close-outs in the middle, shape only on small clean swells.