From Cornwall's oldest archery club, founded in 1863, to beginners' courses on the Lizard, in South East Cornwall, around Wadebridge and along the north coast, plus bookable taster sessions near Falmouth and Polzeath - and field and target clubs, equipment dealers and the Devon and Cornwall Archery Society around Plymouth and Tavistock.
Cornwall's archery clubs are affiliated to Archery GB and the Devon and Cornwall Archery Society (DCAS), and most run regular beginners' courses that provide all the equipment you need to try the sport before committing to membership. Mounts Bay Archery Club, near Penzance, dates back to 1863 and is the oldest archery club in the county, while Redruth Archers, formed in 1975, is one of the few Cornwall clubs to own its own shooting field.
Further round the coast, Lizard Peninsula Bowmen at Garras covers the Lizard, while Muscovy Archers near Liskeard and St Austell Bay Archers cover South East and mid Cornwall - Muscovy Archers is a field archery club, shooting 3D targets through woodland rather than flat paper faces, which makes a nice change of pace. Archers of the West, near Hayle, and Newquay Bowmen, at Tretherras School, round out coverage of the west and north coasts, while Bowmen of Wadebridge, shooting at the Colquite Estate near St Mabyn in summer and the Royal Cornwall Showground over winter, fills in North Cornwall.
If you'd rather try archery as a one-off than join a club, Elemental UK runs bookable sessions at Swanpool Beach in Falmouth and Tolcarne Beach in Newquay, and Cornish Rock Tors runs a dedicated archery and axe-throwing range near Polzeath - handy if you're staying around Tintagel or Padstow. If you want to buy your own equipment, Preppers Shop UK in Wadebridge stocks recurve and compound bows and accessories.
Most of what's on offer in Cornwall falls under target archery - the discipline shot at the Olympics, where archers aim at a flat, circular target face from fixed, known distances, scoring points for hitting the highest-value rings as consistently as possible. Field archery, practised by clubs such as Muscovy Archers, is a different experience altogether: archers walk a course laid out over rough woodland terrain, shooting at 3D animal targets and paper faces set at varying - sometimes unmarked - distances, closer to how archery would once have been used for hunting.
Beginners' courses almost always start on a recurve bow - the classic curved-limb bow used in Olympic competition, valued for being lightweight and relatively straightforward to learn on. Compound bows use a system of cams and cables that reduces the holding weight at full draw, making them easier to hold steady and aim, and tend to suit archers who progress from recurve or who prefer a more mechanical, precision-focused style of shooting. Several Cornwall clubs, including Redruth Archers and Lizard Peninsula Bowmen, also cater for barebow (a recurve shot without sights) and traditional longbow archery, so there's scope to try different styles once you've found your feet.
Membership clubs affiliated to Archery GB and DCAS, running regular beginners' courses.
Near Penzance, Cornwall
Formed in 1863, Mounts Bay Archery Club is the oldest archery club in Cornwall and welcomes members shooting a wide range of bow types. The club regularly runs beginners' courses for those aged 10 and over.
New Portreath Road, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 4HJ
Formed in 1975, Redruth Archers is one of the few Cornwall clubs to own its own shooting field, a couple of miles from Portreath beach. The club has a junior section and a disabled section, runs beginners' courses each spring, and shoots indoors twice a week over winter.
Ludgvan Community Centre, near Hayle, Cornwall TR20 8ES
Formed in 2000, this community archery club practises target archery on an outdoor field behind Ludgvan Community Centre, with a second venue at Holman Sports Club in Camborne. Beginners' courses run several times a year for adults and juniors from age 8.
Tretherras School, Newquay, Cornwall TR7 3BH
Established in 1990, Newquay Bowmen is based at Tretherras School and offers coaching and shooting year-round for members. Indoor shooting runs from late September to April in the school's Junior Hall, moving outdoors over summer.
Garras, near Helston, Cornwall
Based on the Lizard Peninsula, this club has owned its shooting field outright since 2007 and shoots every bow type except crossbow. Members range in age from 10 to over 80, and the club hosts an annual two-day tournament attracting visiting archers from across the UK and abroad.
Little Polgooth, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 7DD
St Austell Bay Archers shoot all year round, indoors at Carnmoggas Holiday Park over winter and outdoors at St Austell Cricket Club over summer. The club regularly runs beginners' courses and has members competing at national and international junior level.
Colquite Estate, near St Mabyn, Bodmin PL30 3AF (summer); Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge PL27 7JE (winter)
Formed in 1987 by Roy and Gwen Skipper, the Bowmen of Wadebridge is a friendly target archery club drawing members from within about 15 miles of Wadebridge. Summer shooting takes place at the Colquite Estate near St Mabyn, moving to the Royal Cornwall Showground on Wednesdays and Fridays over winter.
Dobwalls, near Liskeard, Cornwall
A friendly field archery club in South East Cornwall, formed in the mid-1980s. Members shoot 3D animal targets and paper faces through woodland courses rather than a flat target range, and the club also offers free taster sessions for newcomers.
No membership required - book a one-off session as an individual, family or group.
The Point Golf & Country Club, near Polzeath, Cornwall PL27 6QT
Better known for coasteering and climbing, Cornish Rock Tors also runs a purpose-built archery range on the grounds of The Point golf club just outside Polzeath, a short drive from Tintagel and Padstow. Archery GB qualified instructors run 90-minute sessions, with an optional add-on axe-throwing session.
Swanpool Beach, Falmouth (also Tolcarne Beach, Newquay)
A long-established Cornwall adventure centre based on two beaches - Swanpool in Falmouth and Tolcarne in Newquay - offering archery alongside watersports such as kayaking, coasteering and sailing. Popular with families, school groups and holidaymakers looking to build a bespoke activity day.
Goodygrane Activity Centre, Halvasso, near Falmouth, Cornwall TR10 9BX
Alongside its Via Ferrata routes and Zip Wire Safari, this Falmouth-area adventure centre runs family-friendly archery sessions for ages 6+, with all profits supporting the charity BF Adventure.
Dunveth Business Park, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7FE
Best known as one of the largest survival and outdoor equipment retailers in Europe, Preppers Shop UK also stocks a range of recurve and compound archery bows and accessories, alongside crossbows and related gear, from its walk-in store and warehouse near Wadebridge.
Every club on this page - and most of those in the Plymouth and Tavistock section below - is affiliated to the Devon and Cornwall Archery Society (DCAS), the official Archery GB county association covering both counties. DCAS doesn't run its own shooting venue; instead it supports the network of member clubs, providing backing for judges and coaches, organising a full calendar of open county tournaments hosted by different clubs each year, and selecting the Devon & Cornwall county teams that compete in national and regional events.
The DCAS tournament calendar runs right through the year: the Indoor Championships each February or March, the Grand Day in spring, the County Championships and a Double WA1440 weekend over summer, the Autumn Gold Shoot in September, and the DCAS & Grand Western Archery Society (GWAS) Field Championships in October. Cornwall clubs regularly host these events - Redruth Archers, St Austell Bay Archers and Bowmen of Wadebridge have all run open tournaments for the wider DCAS membership - and Cornwall archers compete well at them: Redruth Archers and Bowmen of Wadebridge both placed at the 2026 DCAS Indoor Championships, hosted by Yelverton Bowmen at YMCA Plymouth.
For anyone new to the sport, DCAS is mainly useful as a reference point rather than a first port of call - if you want to try archery, contact a local club directly (see the clubs above), since DCAS itself directs newcomers back to club secretaries for beginners' courses. The society is relevant once you're a member of an affiliated club: it's what allows you to shoot as a visiting guest at other DCAS clubs, compete in county tournaments, and be considered for county team selection.
DCAS-affiliated clubs covering Cornwall and the Plymouth/Tavistock area:
Muscovy Archers is not on this list, as it's affiliated to the National Field Archery Society (NFAS) rather than Archery GB/DCAS - a good example of how Cornwall's archery scene splits between the two governing bodies.
Visit DCAS websiteNot in Cornwall, but close enough to matter if you're staying in or near Plymouth, Tavistock or Launceston - a mix of traditional field and target clubs, plus a very different kind of archery to the clubs above.
Widewell Primary School, Plymouth PL6 7ER (outdoor); YMCA Plymouth, PL5 3NG (indoor)
A traditional Archery GB target archery club welcoming archers aged 10+ from Plymouth and the surrounding area, with a six-week beginners' course. Outdoor shooting runs April to September at Widewell, with an indoor range at YMCA Plymouth available year-round. Yelverton Bowmen hosted the 48th DCAS Open Indoor Championships in 2026.
Hazledon House, Parkwood Road, Tavistock PL19 0JS
A family-orientated field archery club affiliated to the NFAS rather than Archery GB, offering both a dedicated target range and a woodland course with eighteen 3D targets. Runs beginners' courses and welcomes archers of all ages and abilities.
The Old Rectory Caravan & Camping Park, Gulworthy, near Tavistock PL19 8JA
An Archery GB registered club based on a campsite just outside Tavistock, with a particular focus on young, mobility-impaired and family archers. Runs have-a-go sessions, taster sessions and beginners' courses, with residential options for visitors staying at the campsite.
Lifton Community Centre, Park Wood Rise, Lifton PL16 0LA
A small, family-centred club taking its name from Dunheved, the historic name for Launceston, just over the county boundary. Members meet at Lifton Community Centre through the winter season, catering for most ages, abilities and genders in a relaxed, low-pressure setting.
Plymouth, Devon
Established in 2015, Archery Assault Plymouth runs combat-style archery tag games rather than traditional target archery - think dodgeball with bows and foam-tipped arrows. Game types include Team Death Match, Capture the Flag and Protect the VIP, making it a popular one-off group activity for birthdays, stag and hen parties and corporate days.
No dedicated archery-only shop in either town, but three genuine options for buying kit if you're staying in the area.
125 Cornwall Street, Plymouth PL1 1PA
A general shooting-sports and fishing retailer in the city centre stocking crossbows and archery equipment alongside air rifles, knives and fishing tackle. Best treated as a general outdoor/shooting shop rather than an archery specialist.
28 Market Avenue, Plymouth PL1 1PH
Primarily an airgun specialist a couple of doors from Peter's Fishing and Sports, but stocks a small range of beginners' and junior archery kits, arrows and accessories alongside its main airgun and airsoft stock.
2 Torr Cottages, Bradstone, near Tavistock PL19 0QT
A specialist craftsman workshop rather than a walk-in shop, handmaking laminate longbows, warbows, self yew bows, arrows and accessories to order on the edge of Dartmoor. Also caters for re-enactors and warbow enthusiasts, and runs hands-on longbow-making courses from the workshop.
Course dates, prices, age policies and shooting venues are set by individual clubs and operators and may change without notice, and several clubs move between indoor and outdoor venues seasonally. Please check directly with each provider before travelling. DCAS tournament dates and results are correct at time of writing but are set independently by the society and host clubs each year. Cornwall Online is not responsible for the content of external websites linked from this page.
Page last updated: August 2026