Constantine Bay ( kw, Eglos Costentin, meaning ''church of St Constantine'') is a village and beach on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast of north

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately three miles (5 km) west of

Padstow Padstow (; kw, Lannwedhenek) is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately northwest of Wadebridge, ...

and is in the parish of

St Merryn St Merryn ( kw, S. Meryn) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about south of the fishing port of Padstow and northeast of the coastal resort of Newquay. The village has a ...

. The beach is sandy and is popular with

surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

and has

lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...

patrols in the summer. Historically the sand was removed by local farmers by horse and cart to spread on the land to lighten and fertilise the heavy soil. Constantine Bay is named after Saint Constantine, a 6th-century Cornish

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

possibly identified with a minor British king Constantine. St Constantine's Well, an historic site, is accessible by public right of way on Trevose Golf Club's golf course. The area was a favourite holiday location of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

during her premiership and also of former Prime Minister David Cameron.

Trevose Head Trevose Head ( kw, Penn Trenfos, meaning ''farm of the wall's headland'') () is a headland on the Atlantic coast of north Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately west of Padstow. The South West Coast Path runs around the whole pr ...

and Constantine Bay

SSSI A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

is designated for both its biological and geological interests. The dune system at Constantine Bay is in an unfavourable declining condition because of the invasion by species such as

bramble A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...

ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

and

sea buckthorn ''Hippophae'' is the genus of sea buckthorns, deciduous shrubs in the family Elaeagnaceae. The name sea buckthorn may be hyphenated to avoid confusion with the unrelated true buckthorns (''Rhamnus'', family Rhamnaceae). It is also referred to as ...

; and by visitor pressure causing erosion. Constantine Bay lies within the

Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers in Cornwall, England, UK; that is, about 27% of the total area of the county. It comprises 12 separate areas, designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 for s ...

(AONB). Other coastal villages nearby include

Harlyn Harlyn ( kw, ar-Lyn, meaning ''facing a pool'') is a small village on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated inland from Harlyn Bay ( kw, Porth Lys, meaning ''court cove'') three miles from Padstow and about one ...

Porthcothan Porthcothan ( kw, Porthkehodhon) is a coastal village between Newquay and Padstow in Cornwall, England, UK. It is within the civil parish of St Eval. Porthcothan lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Almost a third ...

Trevone Trevone ( kw, Treavon, meaning ''river farm'') is a seaside village and bay ( kw, Porth Musyn, meaning ''Musun cove'') near Padstow in Cornwall, England, UK. Geography Trevone Bay is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It contains fo ...

and

Treyarnon Treyarnon (, meaning ''Garnen's farm'') is a hamlet west of St Merryn in Cornwall, England, UK near Padstow. Treyarnon Beach is a small beach nearby with a caravan park, Youth Hostel and café. Treyarnon Bay Treyarnon has a car park (often fu ...

References

External links

Villages in Cornwall Beaches of Cornwall Bays of Cornwall Populated coastal places in Cornwall {{NorthCornwall-geo-stub