Surf's up! Our favourite Devon surfing beaches

With a diverse and stunning coastline offering up great breaks, Devon is the perfect place to come for a surfing trip. The most consistent surf is found on the North Devon coast, but you can find waves all over the county. Here are our favourite Devon surfing beaches…

Croyde

Croyde Bay is a surfers’ paradise. This is one of the UK’s best beach breaks and offers wold class waves when it’s on. Experienced surfers should head to the area known as Boneyards at the North End of the beach at low tide. It can get pretty crowded here in peak season and during school holidays. Due to the bay’s popularity, lots of surf schools and shops have sprung up around the bay in recent years and there is a good scene here.

Woolacombe

Woolacombe is one of the most family-friendly surfing beaches in North Devon. Its good at all stages of the tide and great for all abilities of surfers, offering fun long waves. Frequently voted the best beach in Devon, this lovely bay can get a little crowded in peak season, but there is space enough for everyone, the lifeguards keep the swimmers out of the surf areas and the atmosphere is always nice.

Saunton

This vast 3 mile stretch of golden is situated in the heart of north Devon’s biosphere offers a peak for everyone. Saunton Sands is a great place to learn to surf when the swells aren’t big and it’s also good for longboarders. At the northern (right) end of the beach next to a cave, in an area known to locals as ‘the cave’, you can get excellent rights and you will find world class longboarders hanging out here.

Putsborough

Putsborough Sands is just down the road from Croyde and Woolacombe. It’s a beautiful and much less crowded spot which faces North West and offers a clean break when everything else is blown out. The safe beach is a fine place for surfers of all abilities, with boards, wetsuits and other equipment available for hire at the entrance to the car park. In big winter surf the waves here can get demanding and awesome, which is fun for experienced surfers only.

Westward Ho!

Apart from its awesome name, Westward Ho! offers slow waves that are good for all levels of experience . This is a long sandy bay with southerly wind shelter at mid and high tide. The great thing about this beach is the atmosphere - it is very uncrowded, chilled out and there isn’t even a hint of localism.

Elsewhere in North Devon, experienced surfers might like to check out Woody Bay and Lynmouth.

Bantham

Although north Devon is home to some of the best surfing beaches in the county, one of the best places to seek waves in the south is at Bantham Beach in Bigbury Bay. Bantham gets the biggest swells and the most consistent breaks in South Devon and the scene here is a lot more chilled out. This beach is located in a stunning Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so after a day of hitting the waves, you could also enjoy a walk along the area’s coastal footpaths and estuary which are all teaming with wildlife.

If you are looking for other surf beaches in South Devon, try Bigbury, Dawlish Warren or Sidmouth.

If you fancy a bit of action along the Devonshire coastline, there are plenty of excellent surfing beaches to choose from. The coast is also full of surf schools and places to hire equipment, so surfers of all levels can have a great time in Devon.