Harlyn Bay

Didn’t park, just drove round trying to find a space, gave up and left. Got fined. How is it legal to issue a fine for this?

An absolute disgrace the way this carpark operates! Insufficient signage to tell you you're on the clock the moment you drive in. No grace period to buy a ticket with very poor signal. Then a hideous fine, even after paying. Total scam. Won't be returning.

This car park gets zero stars. Parking on entering and leaving! We’ve just got home from holiday to two parking fines for entering and not finding a space and changing our mind! They say there’s sufficient signage but when a car flashes you across you cross quickly to ease some of the traffic. Where is the grace period?? I’ve contacted Cornwall Council and they’ve just emailed saying they can’t help as it’s a private company and to contact the British Parking Association! We’ve looked on the Facebook parking group that the owner is a member. To listen to them talk about their standards and how they are going to rid the county of illegal Parker’s…well move over Captain America! I’ve also written to the MP for North Cornwall. It’s shameful practices from this company, who is local and should be supporting its locals and visitors, who are fleecing people at every turn. Rip Off Britain strikes again. Don’t Park here!!

Do not park here. Have been fined £100. Like all other reviews say, they are trying to catch people out and make them buy less time than what the cameras are picking up on. And also on an awful hill.

SCAM. Do not park here. You will be fined.

Do not Park here. Its run as a money making business, not to help locals and tourists access the great beach. Cornwall Council need to investigate.

No phone signal. No notifications that you are being watched when on a camera. Took 13 days for me to receive the horrendous fine. It leaves a very bad taste. I only drove in to turn around and then back out again. ***** Rip off. They should be ashamed of themselves and the local council and businesses should beware. I won't be going to Harlyn again.

Payed for a car park ticket for allocated time, took 20 mins to get the kids out the car and give my son a bottle of milk/sun lotion ect! Then proceeded to get a ticket, but you get charged on entry of the car park. This place is a massive SCAM. DO NOT PARK HERE! Such a shame because it’s a lovely beach.

Very unclear on payment. Received a fine having paid £9.50 for parking. Not in line with usual car park policies. This results in people parking outside of the car park in unsafe locations. The council will need to address this if this is a known problem.

2024 prices now up and still crap mobile signal! 30 mins £1 1hr £2 2hr £4 3hr £6 4hr £7.50

Simply over priced, I can understand why so many cars parked on double yellow lines outside the car park

Used to be £5 all day….could go in and out car park if needed. Great guy, super friendly, brummy accent, used to greet you every time. Used to love harlyn. Hate it now since alliance took over. Locals park on the side of the road to avoid this silly car park charge! Don’t blame them either!

Fined for a surf check! Cornwall council need to sort this out - absolutely shocking company. Drove to the front, saw there were no waves so drove out 2 mins later - didn’t even leave my car. Fined! Absolute shockers. Won’t be paying my money there in future.

Collapsed in car park, admitted to hospital via ambulance. Got a ticket, appealed it with proof of discharge! Still declined it.

Poor surface. Poor value. Used to lifeguard here. Only people with money can do. Now will dissuade up and coming youngsters as surfers and lifesavers for local economy. Poor planning as nearby locals now excluded as well as affecting businesses. Madness.

I live down the road from Harlyn and I used to go a couple times a week to Harlyn towalk my dog, go running or surfing. I haven't been since Alliance took over. They're treating a beach car park like a city center. Locals don't have to park there, we have plenty of other options. You're only ruining the local economy and businesses. Poor buisness, you guys really should be ashamed of yourselves.

Awful car park and unethical business practices. As previous reviews have mentioned, you are charged from the moment you enter. We drove in, found a space, tried to pay via the app but couldn't due to poor signal so left the car park and went elsewhere. We received a fine of £100 and when we appealed and explained we attempted to pay but left when we realised we couldn't, the company rejected the appeal. I do not know of any other car park where there is no grace period to cover arriving, parking and paying! We are regular visitors to this area and Harlyn beach but this has put me off coming back. To top it off, the car park is extremely poorly maintained with huge pot holes and craters everywhere - they are clearly just making a killing by fining people but not actually interested in providing a decent service. Appalling.

Don’t park here. Zero stars. Same story, bought ticket, stayed within time of ticket. Now got a £60 fine.

ZERO stars. Words escape me. As others discovered, the ticket is meaningless as the clock starts ticking as soon as you enter, not the time on the ticket, so YES, BUY MORE HOURS THAN YOU POSSIBLY THINK YOU'LL BE THERE! No disabled spaces and the surface is like a bomb site. If it's been raining car, feet, everything gets caked in muddy sand. This is how you make money in Cornwall. At least pirates had a code.

Fined for driving in and out! Avoid this carpark at all costs. The day we stayed, we paid. How does this company not even have a 10 minutes grace period.

I recently received a fine for over staying by 3 minutes and 21 seconds. What you don’t know that even despite signage (there are numerous signs advertising surf lessons, cafes and so on, all competing for your attention when your attention should really be driving amongst surfers families etc...) that you are on camera on entry. So you are changed from that moment until you are off the premises. Parking companies usually honour a grace period or the time starts at the moment of purchasing a ticket. Both are near universal practices and show a level of integrity, honest and co-operative business practice. This allows for time to get parked up, hide valuables such as SatNavs etc, queue at the machine or struggle with dodgy phone signal to make payment in the area, and potentially sort out children, all of which takes at least that time. I believe Alliance Parking know this perfectly well and aim to deliberately catch you out. The local media certainly are under this opinion also.

0 stars - it's a con. They charge from the second you enter the car park. You would think that when you buy the ticket that's when the parking starts like any other normal car park but no you queue to buy a ticket, walk back to car to display it, unload, etc so bearing in mind the return leg(s) you should add another hour on. The car park is uneven and not well maintained and when busy you're a couple of fields from the beach so it takes a while to get there and back. Have disputed the £60 fine but don't hold out much hope.

Also tricked into a fine - didn’t take into account time from driving in to purchasing the ticket. No way to know exactly when you drive through the gates and no signal to use app so had to wait for the machine. Seems like a scam. Bring back the nice volunteers taking payment.

Stars, its a minus. Having paid we must have been moments late. Oblivious, we enjoyed the rest of our holiday and have returned hone today with a fine. £60, no no £100 pounds as the letter arrived before wecwere home. Pointless trying to get this squashed. We will never use this car park again, eventually your loss. As holiday makers in cornwall for 35 years plus, and never parked wrongly or incurred any fines before, we feel well and truly ripped off. We love Cornwall but this car park and beach is no longer for us.

Only gave 1 star as 0 unavailable, due not use this car park as charges are rip off and will fine you for one minute over. All previous reviews are correct, we took time to pay as machine playing up finally paid and then got fined!! Should re name cowboy bay, love Cornwall no nice words for these people

I have had the same experience as all the people who have written a poor review before me ( received my parking when I got home) it seems to me that the people that run/own are either trying to make money or to discourage people from using harlyn bay. The latter works for me never again, if they want to fine people for overstaying why not fine them £10 for a full day stay not £100.

Awful car park. Uneven surface

Shocking! Fined twice £60 each for prompt payment. They charge from the second you drive in till the second you leave, so if you queue for a ticket then you better add on more time. If you stay for an hour, pay for two, else you'll be hit with a fine. Rip off!

This car park is out to trick drivers. We like others have received a parking charge notice stating that we overstayed. It took 12 minutes to queue to purchase a ticket and there is no option to tell the machine when you entered the car park even though you have to key in your reg number. Seemingly no thought that a sunny Bank Holiday during half term might actually be quite busy. Has anyone successfully challenged this awful system I wonder? Will not be returning as cannot guarantee it won’t happen again.

Disgusted with this car park’s money making scheme with the parking ticket rules. For a family that had gone to this beach for years will not visit again, can’t believe someone had not stepped in to manage this as will in the long term lose this area a lot of money. It’s a shame that common sense can’t overrule this company.

ZERO stars. Arrived, downloaded the app (not easy with poor signal) paid, received an invoice saying covered until xx.xx time. LEFT ON TIME got a ticket for the time taker to sort the app. Have appealed but not hopeful. Never mind another trip to Cornwall for the day in court!!

Be very careful. I was fined for being a few mins over even though those few mins were taken walking to, queuing up for and using machine. Don’t bother with the app, phone signal is terrible so wasted my time with that too. Basically you have to be covered from the moment you enter to the moment you have left. Appealed but was declined. Greedy parking company. Disgusting

This car park is disgraceful. Drive in, park, spend 14 mins to pay for parking on the app - very poor signal. Pay for parking on the app. Received a £100 fine for not paying for that first 14 mins- what are you supposed to do??? You can’t ‘back pay’ on app and the queue for tickets is just a long. Disgraceful money making scheme.

Would give 0 stars if possible. Having read the above reviews, it’s clear that the parking company has deliberately set up a paying system that ensures a parking fine. Taking a photo on entry to a car park and one on departure and then charging customers for the whole time period disregarding the time it takes to find a place to park, queue for a ticket or complete the online booking amounts to daylight robbery! If so many customers, who have in good faith paid for parking, are being caught out by the fine print and incurring fines, then Alliance Parking need to review their policies and amend their practice of fining unsuspecting customers. Disgraceful business making large amounts of money dishonestly by fining their customers .

Beware of parking fines I have received 3no £100 fines and trying to establish why as paid tickets…… something very wrong with system ….

Fined 100 pounds for staying 10 minutes too long (spent this 10 mins queueing for the machine!). If people are to be charged from the moment they enter the field they should be warned of this so they know to leave early accordingly. Sad how greedy people can be, as if they don't make enough money on ridiculous prices.

Criminal parking charges and fines. Beware. Given no grace for the 6 minutes to get a ticket and fined £100. disgusting .

If I could have given 0 I would have. No disabled spots. No allowance in extra time for anyone not very able to get to beach and back quickly. 10 minutes grace for everyone seemingly but no allowances for blue badges. Ticket machines app rarely works due to lack of signal so recently I had to slowly make my way to the ticket machines and pay by card. It took 20 minutes to get sorted. Then to add insult to injury I’ve got a ticket for going 1 minute over the grace period. Totally discriminating against anyone who doesn’t move fast. Basically the beach is spoiled for me and I won’t be going back or encouraging others to do so. So sad as we live in Cornwall and it used to be a lovely beach to visit.

If there was a zero stars I would give it. But alas there isn't! Be VERY careful, because as soon as you drive in that's when the cameras deem your stay to start. No matter that the signal here is so abysmal that it takes 12 minutes to pay for your 4 hours on the app, you will get a parking charge letter as soon as you leave to the main road after that 4 hours. I appealed, showed them that my payment to the app was within the 4 hours but that didn't matter. My entering, my sitting in the car waiting to enter the road, that is all included. They don't even care that as a disabled person it was harder and longer for me to get to the machine to read the payment options and then use the app. There is no grace period. Be aware of this! They must make an absolute fortune!! Also - there are no marked bays, pot holes everywhere and the toilets are a small village away! (Not really but it's a long walk across the road and across another field which when you are disabled is not ideal.) such a shame as beach is fab!

Terrible car park. They take photos of you entering and leaving and send you fines for overstaying as they don’t take into account the fact that you have to cross two fields and queue to pay for parking. Avoid if at all possible.

This was £5 a day before the meters went in. That was bad enough. I have been using this Carpark since 1976. Part of the local family estate I believe. I now only use it a couple of times when we are down for a month. Very disappointing. I could costs a family £70 a week to park. Disgraceful, I go elsewhere.

Very uneven surface, lots of pot holes. Not great value for money