Top Places to Surf in Cornwall
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Surfing in Cornwall is fun and a good thing to try at least once. Experienced surfers head to Cornwall for some of the best places in the UK to surf. Learning to surf in Cornwall is great, with beautiful sandy beaches and many surf lessons on offer. View our top ten places to surf in Cornwall below. ALWAYS CHOOSE A LIFEGUARDED BEACH TO SURF.
Bude Beaches
Bude Cornwall is a very popular surfing town in Cornwall. There is a selection of beaches, coves and a harbour that provide a wide range of different wave types. There are great waves for beginners and some fantastic reef breaks for the more experienced surfers.
Crooklets Beach in Bude is a small west facing beach set in front of the Bude Surf Lifesaving Club (the first club established in Europe) and favoured by a mix of surfers. There are surfable waves form all the way along Crooklets beach. It is best when the south east or east winds are blowing and when the surf is between 1-5 feet in height. The shore break can break straight on to a pebble beach at higher tides so novices and beginners beware. Always check with a lifeguard where the safe spots are before entering the water.
Sandymouth Beach is another great beach at the North end of Bude. It is a National Trust beach with a beautiful café. The descent down the path can be difficult as the path gives way to a pebble ridge that descends to the sandy beach. When at the sand it stretches for just over a mile. The beach is watched over by beautifully high towering cliffs and a waterfall that children love to play in. The surf here is great but when it gets above 3 feet a little more experience is advised. The beach is only accessible at mid to low tide and so always seek advice before straying too far from the beach entrance. A real gem in the area!
Also see Widemouth Bay described below for good surfing near Bude and an excellent place to learn to surf.
Fistral Beach – Newquay
The famous Fistral beach in Newquay is an immensely popular surfing beach in Cornwall attracting all levels of surfers due to the good waves it gets all year around, with often challenging waves for more advanced surfers. A wide expanse of golden sands means there is plenty of room to spread out, making it an excellent surf spot in Cornwall, although it does get busy in the peak summer months.
Fistral beach is the home to Boardmasters and many other national and international surf competitions throughout the year and also it is a great place to watch some of the best surfers hitting the waves and join in the atmosphere and celebrations of a surf competition.
Gwithian Beach
Gwithian and the nearby Hayle area offer some of the best places to come surfing in Cornwall and even some of the best surfing in the UK as they offer waves for all skill levels and, critically in the winter months, several options to take flight to when the more exposed beaches are taking a battering.
Gwithian and Godrevy Beach – lifeguarded in the summer months – are separated by the famous Red River, once stained red by tin mining waste, but now one of the cleanest, safest beaches in Cornwall. These Cornish beaches (both with views of Godrevy lighthouse), situated at the northernmost end of St Ives Bay, hoover up most of the swell that the Atlantic can throw at it and it’s rare for them to ever go flat. Gwithian is very popular in summer with all levels of surfers making the most of the emerald waves.
Gwithian beach is an excellent place to learn to surf in Cornwall and a great place for a surf lesson as due to the gently sloping nature of the beach the surf forms and breaks very slowly, allowing aspiring surfers more time to get to their feet and owing to the generous ‘fetch’ of the Atlantic Ocean, Gwithain Beach gets rideable surf all year.
When the surf picks up then the other, less exposed, beaches start to get waves of their own. Heading down St Ives Bay towards Hayle you can find several other beachbreak waves with the most popular being in front of the access points at Beachside (often known as Sandy Acres) or ‘Site’ – in front of St Ives Bay Holiday Park. Hayle offers long playful waves for surfers of all abilities and the town has a fantastic surf shop, called Down the Line, with a huge selection of boards.
Further down the Bay is Hawkes Point and Carbis Bay. These breaks only begin to show when Gwithian is being pummelled by huge swells or howling winds so it is rare to surf them anytime other than the depths of winter.
Gwithian really does have it all for a surfer.
For surfing lessons in Gwithian and Hayle head to the Gwithian Academy of Surfing. They offer lessons for beginners and experienced surfers and a mixture of surf packages including sleep and surf options. Two of their coaches have even coached the British Junior Surfing Team. Or, if you just want to practice what you’ve learned you can hire surf boards and wetsuits from them as well.
Newquay Beaches
Aside from the famous Fistral beach, Newquay has other great beaches offering surfing, depending on the conditions. The town centre beaches of Great Western Beach, Tolcarne Beach and Lusty Glaze beach in Newquay are all popular with surfers, particularly learner surfers. The beaches all have facilities nearby although no parking – park where available in the town centre.
Lusty Glaze beach is a sheltered beach backed by steep cliffs. Lusty Glaze Beach is also home to The Adventure Centre and so offers many pursuits aside from surfing. Popular with novice to intermediate surfers as it often has waist to chest high waves.
Adjoining Lusty Glaze at low tide is Tolcarne beach.
Tolcarne beach is a family favourite and popular with surfers, a large sandy beach backed by cliffs with a beach shop, eateries, beach huts for hire and toilets. Hanging over the beach you will see the suspension bridge crossing from the mainland to the private rock island with a house on it looking like the perfect setting for a horror movie. Lifeguarded over the summer months. Dog ban from 1st May – 30th September.
Great Western beach is a sheltered sandy beach backed by cliffs. A good family beach that is popular with learner surfers due to its smaller surf. At high tide most of this Newquay beach is covered by sea. High cliffs make Great Wester beach shady in the morning. One of the Newquay town beaches it is about a 5-minute walk from Newquay town centre. There are toilets, a café and beach paraphernalia hire. Lifeguarded in the summer months. Dog friendly all year.
Porthmeor Beach – St Ives
One of the five St Ives beaches and overlooked by the famous Tate Gallery, Porthmeor beach is a popular surfing beach that is also enjoyed by families and beach goers.
Porthmeor Beach in St Ives offers options when the surf is large but it is rare to get a wave over waist to chest-high during the summer months.
Porthmeor is a large golden Cornish sand beach often washed by the white waves of the Atlantic, making it popular with surfers and body boarders. Particularly popular with learner surfers when other beaches have rough or high surf as Porthmeor can be more sheltered.
There are toilets, a café and take away right on the beach and the centre of St Ives is only a five-minute walk away so facilities are excellent. The Tate Gallery overlooks Porthmeor. Park where you can find in St Ives and walk to this beach, this should take about 10-15 minutes depending which car park you choose. Seasonal Dog ban 1st May – 30th Sept from 8am – 7pm. Lifeguarded over summer months.
Perranporth Beach
Perranporth Beach is an amazing 3-mile long golden beach very popular with all types of surfers.
Perranporth gets very busy in the summer months and it can be difficult to get a spot to surf between the relatively small flagged area set up by the lifeguards. Rips can be a problem so beware of this. The town of Perranporth has some good surf shops and plenty of places to hire boards.
Praa Sands
When the north coast wind isn’t cooperating, head over to Praa Sands and Perranuthnoe. Praa Sands is a large expanse of golden sand popular with surfers due to the frequent surf yet enjoyed by families and beach goers as well. There are good facilities with cafes, a beach hire shop, surf lessons, toilets and paid for parking. Lifeguarded over the summer months. Seasonal Dog ban Easter Day – 1st October from 7am – 7pm.
Sennen Beach
Sennen Cove is a picturesque fishing village with breath-taking views out to the Atlantic Ocean – a beautiful desitination situation onCornwall’s South Western tip with a glorious golden sandy beach. It is very exposed to the Atlantic Ocean and so gets the brunt of any swell coming. Sennen Cove is known as on eo the most consistent surf spots in the UK. If there are waves to be caught they will be at Sennen.
The South end of Sennen is perfect for beginners as it is sheltered by the break water and the waves are less steep with less power. The North End of the beach collects more swell and offers more power for more advanced surfers.
Sennen beach is extremely popular with locals and visiting tourists due to its beauty and the regularity of the surf. When it is good, waves at the north end can reach up to six foot high. At the south end the sandbar creates smaller faster waves. Beware of the odd rip.
There are good facilities with a carp park overlooking the beach (although in busy times the overflow car park is a steep walk down the hill), a beach café and restaurant, surf and beach paraphernalia hire and toilets. Lifeguarded over summer months. Dog ban (including harbour) 1st May – 30 Sept, 8am-7pm.
Watergate Bay Beach – Watergate Bay
Slightly out of Newquay, Watergate Bay is a two-mile stretch of golden sands. Popular with surfers, kit surfers and beachgoers. Facilities are good with a couple of cafes, restaurants, beach shop, toilets and places to hire surf and beach equipment. Watergate Bay is home to the Extreme Academy and the famous Fifteen restaurant set-up by Jamie Oliver. Parking can be tricky.
The beach break at Watergate Bay makes surfing consistent all year and makes it popular with all levels of surfers. Lifeguarded over the summer months. Dog friendly all year.
Widemouth Bay Beach
Widemouth Bay is the most southerly of the Bude beaches. A beautiful long stretch of sand with large car park, a choice of cafes, surf shop and toilets. A popular beach for all the family.
Bodyboarders and surfers particularly like Widemouth Bay due to the space it provides in the water and shape of the waves that are created. The beach has a light gradient which causes the waves to break on it more gently. This is perfect for learner surfers and younger children. The waves break throughout the tide and are best between 1-5 feet and with an easterly wind.