Watergate Bay

{{Short description|Bay in Cornwall, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} thumb|right|Watergate during the summer '''Watergate Bay''' ({{langx|kw|'''Porth Tregoryan'''|label=Standard Written Form}}, meaning ''cove at Coryan's farmstead/village''){{Cn|date=September 2023}} is a long bay or beach flanked by cliffs centred two miles NNE of Newquay below the B3276 Newquay to Padstow road near the hamlet of Tregurrian in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It faces the Atlantic Ocean, adjacent to Newquay Bay. The {{convert|2|mi|adj=on}} sandy beach and exposed site is popular for non-powered water sports, kite flying,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Watergate Bay: The Best Kitesurfing Spot In Cornwall|url= https://cswatersports.com/watergate-bay-the-best-kitesurfing-spot-in-cornwall/|access-date=2021-07-29|website=www.cswatersports.com}}</ref> and sand art.

Since May 2007, Watergate Bay hosts the English Nationals Surfing Championships.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2007/04/05/englishnationalspreview_feature.shtml BBC - Cornwall - Surfing & extreme sports - English Nationals Preview]</ref> In May 2026, it was named the 6th best beach in the UK by Time Out magazine.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mapped: the 20 best beaches in the UK|url= https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/mapped-the-20-best-beaches-in-the-uk-052926/|access-date=2026-05-29|website=www.timeout.com}}</ref>

thumb|right|Watergate Bay Hotel

== Watergate Bay Hotel == The Watergate Bay Hotel first opened in July 1900.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The history of Watergate Bay|url=https://www.watergatebay.co.uk/blog/the-history-of-watergate-bay-hotel/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=www.watergatebay.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Customer Profile: Watergate Bay Hotel|url=https://www.origincoffee.co.uk/blogs/journal/customer-profile-watergate-bay-hotel|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Origin Coffee}}</ref> The Hotel was designed by architect Joshua Harrison Goodland. The Hotel hoped to cater for railway tourists that were expected to arrive on the Padstow, Bedruthan & St.Mawgan Railway line, which would also extend to Newquay - however the line was never constructed.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The history of Watergate Bay|url=https://www.watergatebay.co.uk/blog/the-history-of-watergate-bay-hotel/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=www.watergatebay.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Customer Profile: Watergate Bay Hotel|url=https://www.origincoffee.co.uk/blogs/journal/customer-profile-watergate-bay-hotel|access-date=2021-03-30|website=Origin Coffee}}</ref> Prior to this it was farmland. thumb|right|Watergate Bay at low tide

==Cornish wrestling== Cornish wrestling tournaments, for prizes, were held in Watergate Bay in the 1900s for the "Burnaby Cup".<ref name="SAS31081911">St. Austell Star, 31 August 1911.</ref><ref name="BWML23081913">Boxing World and Mirror of Life, 23 August 1913.</ref>

==Film, TV and radio== Watergate Bay has been used as a location for the following productions: *The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999) * ''Plunge'' (2003),<ref>[https://us.imdb.com/title/tt0400739/ Plunge: The Movie from the Internet Movie Database]</ref> a surf movie featuring Kate Winslet. *''Echo Beach'' (2008),<ref>[https://us.imdb.com/title/tt1058915/ Echo Beach from the Internet Movie Database]</ref> a 12-part TV series that was filmed during the summer of 2007 featuring Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon. *''Moving Wallpaper'' (2008), a behind-the-scenes comedy following the making of ''Echo Beach''.<ref>[https://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a62741/echo-beach-and-moving-wallpaper-lineup-revealed.html Moving Wallpaper from the ''Digital Spy'' website]</ref> *BBC Radio 4's ''Open Country'' produced a 30-minute BBC Radio Documentary about the bay.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qgft BBC Radio 4's ''Open Country''.(17 February 2007)]</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == {{Portal|Cornwall}} *[https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/webcams/webcam_watergatebay.shtml BBC Cornwall: Watergate Bay Webcam]

Category:Bays of Cornwall Category:Surfing locations in Cornwall