Surfing Breaks at Fentafriddle
The north coast of Cornwall has long been revered for its surfing beaches; many would argue that the finest surf in the country is to be found here. Fentafriddle is ideally located to exploit the fantastic surfing opportunities of this stretch of coast – with one outstanding beach break, Trebarwith Strand, within walking distance.
We’ve compiled a little guide to the beaches nearest to Fentafriddle to help you decide which are best suited to your surfing ability, and which have other facilities, such as cafes, children’s activities and shops, so that any non-surfers in your group will be happy too.
Trebarwith Strand
The nearest beach to Fentafriddle, and only a pleasant 20 minute stroll away, Trebarwith Strand gets great surf, with both left- and right-handers. This spot works best from low tide, on an incoming tide and with south-easterly or easterly winds; the break is suitable for beginners, although care should be taken with the tides. This break feels a little off the beaten path, so it’s often less crowded than other beaches. At high tide, the sand is fully covered. Trebarwith Strand is a family-friendly, sandy beach with a number of cafes and shops and a large car park a few minutes’ walk from the beach.
Polzeath
Busier than Trebarwith Strand, Polzeath is a bustling resort with plenty of diversions for those who don’t surf - the beach is fringed with shops, boutiques, ice cream parlours and cafes. Polzeath is a great place to learn to surf, with a variety of breaks that generally work best close to low tide, but watch out for rips. At low tide, there is a main break in the centre of the bay, with left- and right-handers to either side. This beach draws many of the North Coast’s best surfers, so you’ll be rubbing shoulders with some of Cornwall’s finest. There’s plenty of parking adjacent to the beach.
Widemouth
Flanked by cliffs at either end, Widemouth is a long, long sandy beach famous for its surf. There are left and right hand breaks all along Widemouth; if there is a swell, generally there is at least one break working at every point of the tide. A good beach for beginners, easterly winds are offshore at Widemouth and produce the best surf. Widemouth is a couple of miles outside Bude, in an exposed position where shops and cafes are thin on the ground. Parking is plentiful just above the beach and there is a takeaway food outlet adjacent. Set further back are a number of pubs serving good food.
Crooklets, Bude
A short walk from the centre of Bude, Crooklets has good left and right breaks, generally best at low tide, although there is a lefthander at high tide (just watch out for the rocks). The surf here tends to close out when it gets big, so this beach is better on a smaller swell. Crooklets has plenty of parking next to the sand and a classic beach cafe overlooking the beach. Bude itself offers lots of shopping for non-surfers.
Novice surfers will find a choice of surf schools nearby to help them catch that momentous first wave: