Portelet offers a lovely sheltered beach with soft sand and clear water and, thanks to it being a small working fishing harbour, there are always plenty of little boats to look at.
Location
Portelet is located in the parish of Torteval, in the south-west of the island. When following the coast road south from Cobo and Vazon, Portelet is at the end of the road.
The Imperial Hotel stands at the end of the coast road with ample parking available beyond the hotel (the road is marked as a dead-end).
The Beach
At the end of the road (beyond the parking and the kiosk) is a cobbled slipway that gives access to the beach. There are a number of benches at the top of the slipway allowing people to take in the stuning view of Rocquaine Bay.
View of Fort Grey From Benches At Portelet
As Portelet is situated in the south west of the island, it’s a great choice for an afternoon beach trip in the summer, as it gets the best of the afternoon sun and offers stunning sunset views.
Low Tide
Low Tide At Portelet Harbour
At low tide, a large expanse of soft white sand is uncovered along with a vast carpet of rocks. The rocks make Portelet one of the best beaches in Guernsey for rock pooling and for sea glass collecting.
For those who have never come across sea glass, it is smooth, frosted, beautiful pieces of glass that are formed from man-made glass products and are polished and refined by the waves and currents of the sea – we’d never heard of sea glass until we moved to Guernsey and now my girls hunt for it on every beach trip!
Rocks Exposed at Portelet At Low Tide
High Tide
During high tide there can be no beach left at Portelet, instead waves can be seen crashing into the rocks at the back of the beach.
Dogs on Portelet Beach
Dogs are allowed on Portelet beach all year round.
Facilities
There is a really nice beach Kiosk at Portelet offering hot and cold food, drinks, ice creams and beach essentials (bucket and spade etc), along with numerous table and chairs. There is also a toilet block that is open year round.
For those wanting a more substanial meal, the Imperial Hotel is located a few minutes walk from Portelet beach. The hotel has a modern restaurant and large outside dining area with a good menu of hot and cold food. The Imperial has a good kids menu but we have learnt that the kids meals are MASSIVE, to the point their roast totally overwhelms our girls!
Kids Roast At The Imperial
Walking from Portelet
We head down to Portelet everytime we have visitors because of the amazing walk from Portelet to the Fairy Ring. Follow the tarmacked road that runs behind Portelet Beach (no access for cars) and you’ll encounter a WWII German bunker, Fort Pezeries and the ‘Fairy Ring’, a site that has become part of local folklore suggesting the site is linked with fairies, witches, and elves. If you carry on past the Fairy Ring you will end up at Pleinmont Observation Tower (used by German forces between 1942 and 1945). The whole walk offers the most stunning views over Guernsey’s coastline and out to the Hanois Lighthouse.
Portelet is a great choice for a day out, combining playing in the sand, swimming, rock pooling, walking and eating and drinking out. Though don’t forget to check the tides as they make all the difference!
