Perranporth Beach

Three miles of flat golden sand backed by dunes and pierced by the Chapel Rock sea stack, Perranporth is one of the most rewarding beach flights on Cornwall's north coast. At low tide the beach is enormous, giving you huge, uncluttered TOAL options well away from people, and top-down shots of surfers, rippled sand and the arch in Chapel Rock work in almost any light. Sunset here is the obvious play — the beach faces west-north-west and the wet sand turns to gold. The big catch is Perranporth Airfield sitting on Cligga Head immediately south-west of the beach: it has no FRZ, but light aircraft and skydiving operations use it regularly, and traffic often routes along the coast at low level. Keep well below cliff-top height near that end, keep your ears open, and give way to everything. Onshore wind is the norm and the cliff line generates rotor, so fly with margin over the sea. Summer holiday crowds are serious — fly early morning or off-season, and stay clear of the busy central beach and lifeguarded zones.