I managed to live (and I use the word live loosely) in Bude for six months or so back in 1994. The town is nothing like Newquay, so don`t expect lots of night life and drunk people wandering around. There are good pubs like the Carriers Arms in the Town and the Manor at Widemouth (pronounced ... Read review
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Advantages: Good surf, good food, good local crew Disadvantages: Gets blown out, not much to do when it gets flat
...it nearly always is, the surf gets blown out very easily. Anyhow that caveat aside there are a lot of great places to surf.
Starting with North Bude there is a beach called Sandy Mouth, it is a national Trust beach and it is on most maps, if you get lost head up towards the huge mushrooms (GCHQ) on the cliffs Sandy Mouth is the bay before Duck Pool heading north. It has good parking facilities (although you have to pay) and it has ... ...to be believed when the surf gets up. It holds swell up to about 6ft, after that it gets too hectic.
Crooklets is a break in the Bude town beaches, it is a nice right and is surfable from low to mid tide, it can get a little crowded as most people head down this way. The wave is OK, but not world class. Parking is easy enough - park in any of the town beach car parks.
Widemouth is the huge bay about 3 miles south if ... more
I managed to live (and I use the word live loosely) in Bude for six months or so back in 1994. The town is nothing like Newquay, so don`t expect lots of night life and drunk people wandering around. There are good pubs like the Carriers Arms in the Town and the Manor at Widemouth (pronounced WID MOUTH not WIDE MOUTH), but they only get going at the weekend when everybody comes out to play.
As far as surfing goes there are a good collection of beaches within the Bude area but firstly you will need a car as they are spread out, and secondly you will need patience. Bude faces west and so does all of its beaches, if the wind is South Westerly, which it nearly always is, the surf gets blown out very easily. Anyhow that caveat aside there are a lot of great places to surf.
Starting with North Bude there is a beach called Sandy Mouth, it is a national Trust beach and it is on most maps, if you get lost head up towards the huge mushrooms (GCHQ) on the cliffs Sandy Mouth is the bay before Duck Pool heading north. It has good parking facilities (although you have to pay) and it has a café run by Rosie who does excellent post surf food and hot chocolates.
Sandy Mouth is a mid-tide break, it has a number of reefs (shooting galleries) and sand bars, there are always rips here so take care, there is life guard cover during the summer. It has a variety of different waves and as with all beaches it is affected by the wind. Take care getting out of the water at high tide - the shore dump has to been seen to be believed when the surf gets up. It holds swell up to about 6ft, after that it gets too hectic.
Crooklets is a break in the Bude town beaches, it is a nice right and is surfable from low to mid tide, it can get a little crowded as most people head down this way. The wave is OK, but not world class. Parking is easy enough - park in any of the town beach car parks.
Widemouth is the huge bay about 3 miles south if Bude. It holds big swells and is surfable at all states of tide - I have always preferred mid to high as it pushes the wave height up by about 1-2ft, at full high tide it usually stops working as the bay is too full. I have surf solid and offshore 6-8ft here and it is a great experience. Parking and changing facilities are good here, they even have a shower, it maybe outside and cold but it is great in the summer.
Follow the coast around and you have countless opportunities, There is a classic big break just outside of Widemouth and further down the coast is the Cornish Pipeline (a clue it is near King Arthurs Castle). This is a classic break and I have scored some excellent barrels here. The wave wraps into a horseshoe shaped bay that shelters it from the strong south westerly's. As it starts to break it jacks up, you have to be quick to your feet as it starts to barrel pretty quickly. It is a fast wave and has the best memories for me from my time in the area. I am not going to say how to get to these breaks as you should explorer and I would not be popular with the locals if I did, but there are enough clues here for the dedicated surfer with a good map to find them, also they are all require a good degree of ability as there are currents, tides and big waves to negotiate, if in doubt go to Widemouth.
