Cedarwood Holiday Chalet Activities Home

Cedarwood Holiday Chalet Activities Home

Surfing

Always take care and don't bathe or surf on your own.

Croyde Bay and the surrounding area of the North Devon coastline offers excellent surfing opportunities at various states of tide, swell and wind - the three main variables which shape this sport. All of the following beaches have excellent facilities although Putsborough certainly is more basic due to it's location.

Surf schools offer training on most beaches and are well advertised locally.

Saunton Sands has an extensive stretch of beach and always looks inviting from the vantage points of the lay-by above the beach. This beach has various breaks along it's length according to conditions and it is often a slower break than Croyde and can offer great conditions for learners and favoured by long-boarders. There is a rip current by the rocks which the most experienced surfers use to help move outside the break on the bigger days.

Downend Point offers very hollow waves for the bravest and experienced surfers, it is a great place to watch as you can get close to the breaking waves by walking along to the point.

Croyde Bay has several distinctly unique surfing features, protection from off-shore winds at high tide, rocks at each side of the beach create breaks at various states of the tide, each side of the "river-mouth" (where the stream enters the sea) causes different tidal actions which work on various swell size and at low tide the fast and hollow breaks challenge the most experienced surfers. Often even the main beach will present new or shifting breaks - particularly after a storm where the sand banks will often shift and create a "new" break for a while. There are often rip currents near the river-mouth and at each side of the bay near the rocks, these can be very strong so take care.

Putsborough Sands, a short drive over to this bay is often worth the trip as at higher states of the tide this beach is protected from the Southerly and Easterly winds by the headland. Again rips are present at various parts of the beach and almost always near the rocks. Many varied breaks are seen all along the bay towards Woolacombe, you can always find some space with a short walk along the beach.

Looking North up the beach from Putsborough is Woolacombe, this is also an excellent surfing beach with rocks at the North end which at low tide reveals a good break at Combesgate plus varied beach breaks along the length of this excellent sandy beach.