There’s a ‘tropical paradise beach’ in Cornwall that’s said to be ‘the best’ – but there’s a catch…

It has been voted ‘the best beach in Cornwall’ by both Cornish folk and frequent visitors to the county.

The ‘pristine’ Porthemmet Beach is on the north coast of the county.

It is said to have “very warm water” and looks “more like a tropical paradise” than a traditional British beach.

Not only that, it’s also considered a surfing hotspot with “a multitude of (very attractive) surfing instructors”.

But there’s a catch: Porthemmet Beach is entirely fictional.

Stunning Porthemmet Beach has been voted the best beach in Cornwall. But there’s a catch: It’s entirely fictional

The actual beach that appears on the website is Makapu’u Beach on the east end of the Hawaiian island of O’ahu. Image courtesy of Creative Commons

One clue is that the word ‘Emmet’ is used in Cornwall for holidaymakers but has probably never been picked up by people outside the county.

A compelling site set up to promote the fake beach – and occasionally Tripadvisor rating who played along ensured that this fictional hotspot captivated travelers for years to come.

Incredibly, it is a trick that has been operating since 2007 and the beach website has garnered more than 150,000 views in that time.

It surprised the Tripadvisor user ‘Bnimo’, who previously wrote on a forum: “I have read that Porthemmet Beach is beautiful and the only beach in Cornwall that allows skinny dipping”. I will be staying in Fowey for two weeks in May. Will the water be warm enough for swimming then?’

user “BellaHampshire” took the question seriously and replied: “The water will still be pretty cold in May and not for the faint of heart (like me) although some people swim year-round down here – so it’s up to you.”

However, others used the forum to correctly identify the beach as fictional.

It’s no wonder the original website fooled people – it’s quite informative. Detailed sections also describe the dolphins visitors might spot and the ‘beautiful’ coral reef where they can dive.

The website claims that Cornwall’s most famous musicians are frequent visitors and that bathers can buy Cornish pasties near the beach, noting: “Be careful to pronounce it ‘parsty’ unless you want to be laughed at.”

This fake beach has been luring travelers for years thanks to the compelling website set up to promote it

Elsewhere, the website, which gives readers directions to the beach, says: “It should be noted that there is a private joke in Cornwall where the locals pretend they don’t know where Porthemmet Beach is. “ Make no mistake, every Cornishman knows this beach, just having fun.”

A Porthemmet Beach gift shop has even been set up online, selling everything from boxers to fridge magnets that read, “Porthemmet: The best beach in Cornwall.”

The BBC revealed that the mastermind behind the site is local Truro teacher Jonty Haywood. He told the publication: “My main goal was to create a national prank, something that people in Cornwall could enjoy themselves with.” “The national public kind of leaked the joke to a lot of people outside of Cornwall.”

The actual beach that appears on the website is Makapu’u Beach on the east end of the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, which explains its tropical appearance.

Even though it’s been more than a decade since the Porthemmet hoax emerged, the joke doesn’t seem to be losing momentum.