From the Cove shop
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is a peaceful riverside village a couple of miles south-east of Truro, set where the Truro and Tresillian rivers meet on their way down to the Fal. Sheltered and deep-watered, it has long been a haven for yachts and a gateway to some of south Cornwall's finest sailing waters.
Beach and cove guide
A simple guide to the feel of the place, how to arrive, and what to keep in mind before you go.
Malpas is the kind of place where the day is shaped by simple things: tide, weather, a picnic, and time to notice the coast properly.
Families, beach days, coast paths, rock pools and relaxed exploring.
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Plan the final walk from the car park and check whether the beach is easy with pushchairs, tired legs or beach bags.
A useful read before visiting with children, especially for tides, paths, facilities and simple beach expectations.
Look up tide times, swimming guidance and weather before you go, especially on wilder beaches.
Read straight through, or use the planning notes above to shape an easier coastal day.
Malpas is situated on the Truro River which is tidal. It is a yacht haven as it is very sheltered and safe. Large ships also lay up at Malpas.
Malpas sits a couple of miles downstream of Truro, at the wooded point where the Truro and Tresillian rivers meet and broaden on their way to join the Fal. The name comes from the Norman-French mal pas, meaning bad passage, a nod to the tricky old ferry crossings that once linked the village to the far bank and the Tregothnan estate beyond. It has long been a place defined by water, with a history of boat building and of cargo being transferred between ship and barge on the run up to Truro.
The setting is gentle and deeply green, with creeks and steep wooded slopes folding down to the water and the whole stretch from the city protected as the Malpas Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest. The tidal mudflats here are important feeding grounds for wildfowl and wading birds, so at low water the river edge becomes a quiet stage for herons, egrets and curlew, while at high tide the deep, sheltered channel fills with moored yachts.
Today Malpas is best known as a calm sailing and boating centre and as a lovely spot simply to be beside the river. Visitors come to watch the boats, to walk the wooded riverside paths, and to settle in at the waterside Heron Inn, which looks out over the moorings and serves local Cornish produce and sustainably caught seafood. It makes an easy, pretty escape from nearby Truro, with the city's cathedral just upriver.
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