Cornwall Tips

Ok…not a board building thread, but this community has some of the most knowledgeable and helpful people when it comes to tips related to surfing, so…I lost the flip and the winter trip to Hawaii isn’t happening, but the trip to England is.  I have to confess that surfing isn’t the first thing that came to mind when I considered it, however I know there are waves there from time to time.  So…I can’t resist trying to get a few waves in a strange ( to me) land and I know getting a wave or two in England will make the trip one to remember.  I know there are a few folks from Cornwall on here…Any tips on surfing there?   Any hope of catching decent waves in April? Any good lodging/food/beverage/board rental tips?

Thanks in advance!

I’m actually from the UK but live in Santa Cruz county (go figure).  Unless you are really lucky you won’t score waves which compare to the better breaks around SC in cornwall - better to take a side trip to ireland or (better at that time of year) portugal instead.  Or deal with the cold and go to scotland.  Maybe morocco if they have a late season.  Water will be cold in cornwall in April - 5/3 or maybe 4/3 advised if it’s warming up fast.  Likely boots, you might be able to avoid wearing gloves. That said, it is scenic.  Many of the well known waves are described in the stormrider guide.

Very few reefs on the north coast and in the UK in general, mostly beach break in one form or another and you will find the waves weak in comparision to santa cruz, more like southern california.  However, they are incessant, generally mixed period and break a long way out on flat beaches if there is any size to it.  So, take a board you like to duckdive, like a shortboard, or buy one in cornwall (plenty of shops catering in general to people who have to drive long distances to go surfing), though quality is variable and you should definitely shop around.

Surfing in the UK is affected by the wind hugely.  It’s nearly always blowing from somewhere and the trick is to be where it’s offshore or at least cross shore, though people surf in conditions which most people in nor cal would not bother with, and for some reason it seems to hold an onshore better in the UK.   Prevailing south-west wind pushes wind swell into unlikely places, up the channel, as far as brighton in the winter (unbeleivably).  There are lots of little coves and bays which work on particular directions of wind.  If it’s got some north in it and there is a low in the bay of biscay, south coast will be on.  Swaylockers from porthleven parts can guide you around those parts.  The north shore (Newquay, St Ives and places south-west of there like Sennen) work on the main swell direction and face out into the atlantic.  Big size variations dependent on the direction the bays face exist, ie, it can be overloaded on a beach round a headland which faces into swell and find and clean and smaller inside another bay. Equally, flat in one place might mean a small wave on the push of the tide in an exposed place.  Most places close out at 5-6ft, but there are some places which will hold a bigger swell, like south fistral in newquay.  Probably avoid newquay unless you want beer, more bad imported surfware than you can shake a stick at (chavs love it) or sex with gross slappers from the north of england on weekends.  There is very little localism in england, though you might get a chilly gaze around St Agnes parts.  Generally folks will be very friendly.  Best to stick off the beaten path.  And drink some decent beer in pubs + have a pasty or two.  Truro is a decent enough market town for a visit if the surf is horrible.

 

 

hi,  i live in cornwall ,i do agree with all reason has said ,we do get inconsistent surf but we do get a lot of surf and april is generally not a bad time of the year , the water is still cold but the sun might be out as well , i really love surfing in cornwall , the landscape , the storms that create waves in the most suprising places, the secret spots that ar/nt so secret anymore, my local beach has a castle for a back drop,

i am sure you will get a wave if you have a flexable time scale just watch the magic seaweed charts and fit it in to your shedule, if you want anymore info or a bed for the night or two when you are down this way give me a pm, pete 

Although the consistency of surf in cornwall is fairly poor when compared to other places in Europe we do have our days. If you have the ability to watch the forecast and jump down to cornwall at the last minute then great, im sure you will get some good, but cold! waves. About 95% of North Cornwalls beaches face West, so i would suggest if you are planning your trip a few weeks in advance, try choosing somewhere with some sheltered beaches so if the wind is howling,  you have somewhere to hide.

I used to live in Cornwall but had to move back to Bristol for work reasons about 4 years ago. If i am planning a trip in advance i normally base myself on the Coast West of Padstow, its a bit sparse in terms of accomodation but the headland that sticks out there has produced a few sheltered beaches close together that are good in a varity of wind directions including the prevailing SW winds.

Hopefully the wave (and wind) gods will smile on you during your trip!

[img_assist|nid=1054563|title=Croyde October|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=0|height=0]I live in Devon (just above Cornwall) and have grown up surfing here and Cornwall, as well as living in Australia for a while. I pretty much agree with what's already been said really, although I would add that as a general rule, you want to make sure there is swell before jetting off to Ireland. It's pretty easy to get skunked over there TBH and it will be noticeably colder in the sea than SW England. You would still want a 5mm and gloves/hood in Eire in April, but you would be ok in a 4/3 and boots (maybe a squid lid if it's windy) back in England. The beachbreaks are fun and reliable and there is plenty of reefs and a couple of points that will work if a swell hits up in Devon. There's also places to hide out of the wind further north in Devon if it's stormy, which could still be the case in April. Don't expect it to be uncrowded though-100/150 people over 3 or 4 peaks is the norm for any Saturday or Sunday with good conditions at my local beach. It's a good time of year at the moment; I surfed for 4 hours in thick, heavy, barrelling beachbreak this past Saturday in a 3yr old 3/2mm and wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else!

Double post

Triple post! (is that a record?)

Thanks for all the feedback folks. Not really expecting a warm water Steamer Lane with castles…but being able to catch a couple of ankle slappers along the path of our “culture” vacation would be nice. If anyone has any tips on good grub (and pubs!) around St Ives - where we’re booked to stay for a few days - that would be most welcome too.

Reason, I suppose this past week of surf here in SC is making you appreciate your move!

 

There’s plenty of spots and waves and there’s plenty of good advice above already. the forum of magicseaweed.com is full of cornish and devon surfers and it’s worth looking on there or posting for tips/more answers.

cornwall is pretty small, from st ives you can be most places within 90 minutes!

 

hope you have a fun trip!

Based on the standard of Cornish surfers I've met, I'd expect there to be some pretty good waves in Cornwall. The North-East is also a good, recommended option for that time of year (better beer) but water so cold you may be tempted to drink anti-freeze (don't).

where's Doc Martin from?

Glad to report that I got a few waves…at locations which I won’t disclose out of respect for the locals.  The surf was surprisingly good and not that much colder than winter on the north coast of SC.  Basically waist-head offshore beachbreak…though it got bigger and reefs/points started to light up just as we were leaving (doh!). Surfers there were friendly and knowledgable. First board I saw someone carrying was a SC board (go figure…it’s a small (surf) world, after all).  Food and lodging was expensive, but not nearly as bad out in Cornwall as it is in London (which was the coolest non-surf/non-outdoor sports destination I’ve ever been too). One thing I was interested to see is that everyone puts their boards on the racks backwards of the way we do it here.  Probably neither way is better, but I know everyone has their opinions either way…just interesting to see one way predominate so obviously there.  Maybe that helps when you’re driving way too fast on the wrong side of a twisty road :wink:

[img_assist|nid=1058787|title=Over the rainbow…|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]

Anyway, I’m glad to know now what the metaphorical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is…

 

 

hi, glad to hear you got some waves in cornwall , this april has been the best i can remember for swell and weather , plus the water temp has risen a couple of degrees because of all the sun we have had, pete