{"id":102,"date":"2019-05-16T14:58:49","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T13:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/?p=102"},"modified":"2022-09-06T16:47:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T15:47:15","slug":"10-cornish-beaches-for-surfing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/10-cornish-beaches-for-surfing\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Cornish Beaches for Bodyboarding and Surfing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019ve little ones eager to try out their bodyboards or you\u2019re looking for some A-frames to practice your cutbacks, Cornwall has perfect beaches to get you amped… <\/strong><\/p>\n

With its \u2018toe\u2019 dipping into the swell of the Atlantic Ocean, Cornwall has a well-deserved international reputation as surfing heaven, but the\u00a0joy of Cornwall for surf is the option of north or south coasts \u2013 with just a few miles between the two, you can head for the best waves each day.<\/p>\n

And you can find the balmiest sea temperatures in the UK. August is the warmest month, with temperatures reaching 17 or 18 degrees, but early autumn is a great time for surfing too. By October, the average sea temperature in Cornwall has only dropped to 14 degrees, and if your neoprene is sturdy and all-encompassing you can even keep surfing through the winter, with the bonus of a consistent swell bolstered by low pressure weather systems.<\/p>\n

There are Cornish surf beaches every way you turn, but here are a few of our favourites that we pile families, boards and barbecues into the car and head for, most with the reassuring presence of lifeguards in summer and a surf school if you want some tuition.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Widemouth Bay, Bude<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"Surfers<\/p>\n

A popular, family-friendly, Blue Flag beach suitable for beginners and intermediates. You can park right beside the sand and when you get tired there are excellent rock pools at the Black Rock end to dabble in at low tide. Sand and reef breaks provide a variety of peaks. You can also hire surfboards, body-boards and wetsuits by the\u00a0beach car park.<\/p>\n

Postcode: EX23 0AW<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Mawgan Porth Beach, Mawgan Porth, near Newquay<\/h2>\n

\"Mawgan<\/p>\n

Take care with your bodyboard here and sign in at the popular village surf school if you\u2019re a novice surfer because you can encounter a risky rip current, but the beach is RNLI patrolled in summer and, since it faces the same way as famous Fistral Beach, catches some great surf.<\/p>\n

Postcode:\u00a0TR8 4BA<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Fistral Beach, Newquay<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"Fistral<\/p>\n

Possibly the most famous and prestigious surf destination in the UK, Fistral is fondly dubbed the home of British surfing. There\u2019s an International Surfing Centre here and a great mix of calm, tranquil days and adrenaline-surging days when the Cribbar, Cornwall\u2019s famous wave, is ridden by hardcore surfers. August marks Boardmasters here, Europe\u2019s biggest surf and skate festival. There are also plenty of places near Fistral Beach that offer surf board, body board and wetsuit hire.<\/p>\n

Postcode: TR7 1HY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Gwithian Towans, St Ives<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"Gwithian<\/p>\n

Beautiful Gwithian has everything going for it if you\u2019re looking for a place to take your board all year round. The four miles of golden sand slope gently into the water, so the slow forming and breaking of surf gives you plenty of time to get to your feet, and the Gulf Stream and heat retaining properties of St Ives Bay make it relatively warm. There\u2019s a good caf\u00e9 too.<\/p>\n

Postcode:\u00a0TR27 5BX<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Perranporth Beach, Perranporth<\/a>, near St Agnes<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"Perranporth<\/p>\n

Plenty of swell here, as well as ample space along the popular three mile beach for the crowds who gather, although it can get crowded between the lifeguard flags. It\u2019s suitable for beginners and experienced surfers and bodyboarders, and there are good surf shops and board hire firms.<\/p>\n

Postcode:\u00a0TR6 0AQ<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Porthmeor<\/h2>\n

\"Porthmeor<\/p>\n

Lovely Blue Flag Porthmeor, in the heart of St Ives, is ideal for surfing and bodyboarding all year. And just sometimes you might glimpse dolphins enjoying the waves too. It\u2019s a friendly break here, with a smaller wave height, so Porthmeor is suitable for beginners and intermediates, though it\u2019s worth watching the hardened professionals when they\u2019re blown in from the more blustery beaches.<\/p>\n

Postcode:\u00a0TR26 2BN<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Porthtowan Beach, Porthtowan, near St Agnes<\/h2>\n

\"Porthtowan<\/p>\n

Popular with expert shortboarders and families, the surf is consistent, though it can be rippy, and is sheltered by the cliffs which flank the village. Several surf schools operate here and there\u2019s an excellent beachfront bar.<\/p>\n

Postcode:\u00a0TR4 8AD<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Praa Sands Beach, Praa Sands<\/a>, near Penzance<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"Praa<\/p>\n

A fine alternative to the beaches of the north coast, this is one to head to when surf\u2019s up in the south. With frequent surf and good facilities, it\u2019s popular with families and all levels of experience. But if you\u2019re not confident, beware the west end of the beach which can have a strong rip current.<\/p>\n

Postcode:\u00a0TR20 9TQ<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Sennen Cove, Sennen, near Land’s End<\/h2>\n

\"Sennen<\/p>\n

Perched on the end of England, in the teeth of swells off the Atlantic, you\u2019re pretty sure to find surf here at any time. Serious surfers should head for the swell at the northern end of the beach, where waves can reach 6ft high, whilst the breakwater to the south has smaller, faster surf for beginners. Some of the top surfers teach at the school here.<\/p>\n

Postcode:\u00a0TR18 3EL<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Portreath Beach, Portreath, near Redruth<\/h2>\n

\"Surfers<\/p>\n

Portreath, in its sheltered harbour, is a popular surfing beach with families. At high tide, the dumping waves are fabulous for bodyboarders, and the combination of a reef and the harbour wall make for some challenging waves which can keep you guessing.<\/p>\n

Postcode:\u00a0TR16 4LA<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n

If you are looking for a surfing or body boarding break in Cornwall, take a look at our range of beach holiday cottages<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Article adapted from original content written by Christine Phillips for Helpful Holidays.<\/small><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Images Courtesy of: Paul Walter<\/a> (CC BY 2.0<\/a>); bezzer101<\/a> (CC BY-ND 2.0<\/a>); A Pillow of Winds<\/a>\u00a0(CC BY-ND 2.0<\/a>); Alastair Campbell<\/a> (CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>); Darren Findlers<\/a> (CC BY-ND 2.0<\/a>); simon_44<\/a> (CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>);\u00a0James Martin<\/a> (CC BY 2.0<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether you\u2019ve little ones eager to try out their bodyboards or you\u2019re looking for some A-frames to practice your cutbacks, Cornwall has perfect beaches to get you amped… With its \u2018toe\u2019 dipping into the swell of the Atlantic Ocean, Cornwall has a well-deserved international reputation as surfing heaven, but the\u00a0joy of Cornwall for surf is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","location-cornwall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4450,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102\/revisions\/4450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helpfulholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}