Top 10 surf sites in Britain
There are currently 250,000 surfers in the UK and the two most popular beaches in Britain are Croyde Bay in North Devon and Fistral Beach in Cornwall, with the biggest surf on the Bristol Channel coast.
Here are a selection of Britain’s top surf beaches:
Newquay
The venue for some of Britain’s top surfing competitions and boasting a three-quarter-mile stretch of beach, the standard of surfing is high and the area will soon have a state of the art surfing centre.
www.surfnewquay.co.uk (www.surfnewquay.co.uk/)
Croyde
Croyde is renowned for having one of the best and most consistent surf beaches in the UK. With three sandy beaches to choose from, there has been great input into the area over the years by the community of young surfers.
www.croydedevon.co.uk (www.croydedevon.co.uk/)
Gower
The Gower peninsula was the first place in Britain to be designated as an area of “outstanding natural beauty”. Gower offers some of the best surfing in Wales with 19 miles of coast and numerous beaches.
www.gowersurfing.com
Bantham
One of the few beaches that hasn’t yet been touched by commerce. Privately owned, make sure you bring everything you need for the day, as you will literally just find the beach on arrival.
www.surf-wax.co.uk (www.surf-wax.co.uk)
Sennen Cove
This beach can get quite busy and is very popular with surfers. It boasts one of the loveliest stretches of sand in Cornwall and has a local surfing club.
www.surf-wax.co.uk
Tynemouth
The venue for the 2006 surfing British Cup – the most coveted surfing award in Britain. People travel all over the world and brave the cold waters to surf at Tynemouth.
www.fluidconcept.co.uk
Bude
The home of British Champion Ruben Ash and former European champion Mike Raven, the beach is also perfect for beginners. It’s a popular location due to the waves along the entire length of the bay.
www.cornish-links.co.uk
Fistral Beach
One of the most popular beaches in Britain, it is crowded in summer and the surf can get quite big. Good for beginners and professionals, but beginners should steer clear when the waves get too big.
www.surfnewquay.co.uk/fistral