Little Fistral

From Discover Newquay

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Little Fistral lies alongside Fistral and is an ideal spot if you want to get away from the crowds. With its caves and rock pools there is much to explore and is an ideal spot for families. You can reach this beach via a path leading down from the old Lifeboat House on Towan Head. Toilets are nearby on the Headland.

Ken Langmaid a Newquay-born resident wrote;

Little Fistral and Nun Cove lie just in front of the Headland Hotel. Nuns by the way are tiny cowry shells which may be discovered near the water's edge by those with sharp eyes. They are flesh coloured and are best found in luittle pools and hollows left by the backwash from the waves. Pieces of oyster shell polished to a shimmering mother-of-pearl are apt to divert one's attention from the real treasures - the cowries.

The low sandy cliffs are colonised by Mesenbryanthemum - its succulent leaves hang in thick drapes and the unlikely looking flowers add an exotic touch.

In some places there are traces of an ancient raised beach, consisting of pebble beds and weathered sandstone resting on a wave cut platform, but unfortunately much of it has crumbled away. At low tide there are some delightful sandy pools to be found, ideal for children, but the lifeguards discourage bathing in the sea near these rocks. While swimming below the surface of one of these pools I came across a pair of strange looking sea-hares drifting together in the gentle current.

The sands are littered with thousands of dog cockle shells but never a live one is found - they must live in deep water some distance offshore. Occasionally a live cowry is found but the breeding and feeding grounds of these molluscs I have seen only in my imagination.

A few steps more and the exuberant life of Fistral Beach bursts into view, but in spite of its attractions it is the infinite detail and rugged beauty of Towan Head which draws me like a magnet.

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