The other well, known as Trevornick valley well, is on a golf course owned by Holywell Bay Holiday Park. It was built in the 14th or 15th century also to commemorate St Cuthbert, but by the 19th century had fallen into disrepair. In 1936, the Newquay Old Cornwall society restored the well around a natural spring using the original stones. Access to the well is through a Gothic arch set into a perimeter wall. Inside are steps leading to a granite well house which is lined with stone seats.

With plenty of space for building sandcastles and playing beach games, Holywell Bay is an ideal spot for a family day out. At low tide, a meandering river, shallow streams, and rock pools are exposed in which children will enjoy hunting for marine life such as crabs, limpets, sea anemones, and small fish. Bring a picnic and your dog who is allowed on the beach all year round.

On calm days, the sea is safe for swimming, although you should be aware of the undercurrents that can be strong in the area. RNLI lifeguards patrol the beach in the summer; look out for their red and yellow flags and always stay between them.

With large Atlantic swells, Holywell Bay is popular with surfers and bodyboarders, and there are two surf schools licensed by the National Trust that offer lessons and equipment hire located on the beach. The break is best at mid and low tide, while the rocky islands at the south of the beach offer shelter from the wind making it a good place for beginners and less experienced surfers.

Holywell Bay is a good beach for sea fishing with bass, ray, and other species of flatfish found in the area. In autumn it’s also possible to catch codling and whiting.

When the tide is low a shipwreck can sometimes be seen on the beach. The SS Francia was a 700-ton steam-powered Argentinian cargo ship that ran aground when it was carrying coal from Port Talbot to France in 1917. Some parts of the ship were salvaged, and what remains is mainly a large piece of rust covered in seaweed.

About 500 metres offshore are two large slate rocks known as Gull Rocks or sometimes Carter’s Rocks after a famous Cornish smuggling family, the Carters of Prussia Cove. They were active in the late 18th century and were an important part of the economy in West Cornwall providing jobs and illicit goods for local people. The rocks will be familiar to viewers of Poldark, providing a dramatic backdrop for several scenes in the series that were filmed on the beach. Holywell Bay has also been the setting for numerous other productions including the Bond films Die Another Day and Tomorrow Never Dies, and HBO’s House of the Dragon.

There are plenty of interesting walks to take around Holywell Bay, many of which follow the South West Path. Leave the beach via the sand dunes and head towards Kelsey Head, where there are earthwork remains of an Iron Age castle. The views from here are beautiful and you might get the chance to see some dolphins and seals bobbing about in the sea. Carry on to Polly Joke beach, a secluded cove, which gets its name from the Cornish porth lojowek meaning either ‘cove covered in vegetation’, or ‘jackdaw cove’, due to the abundance of choughs that were once found in the area.

From here take the inland path to Cubert Common where you will see a Bronze Age burial mound known as a barrow. Follow the boundary of the golf course before taking the path through the sand dunes back to Holywell Bay.
The grassy sand dunes are a haven for wildflowers, butterflies, insects, and adders, as well as birds including stonechats, warblers, swallows, and sand martins. Take your binoculars and look out to sea to spot fulmars, gannets, and gulls fishing over the water.