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New beach guide

Find the right Cornish surf beach for the day

Start with 14 of Cornwall's main surf spots, plus a guide to looking beyond them. Each named-spot guide covers the beach, access, hazards, and the nearest live buoys and webcams.

Clean surf lines at Gwithian with Godrevy lighthouse beyond
Photo by Dave Barnwell

What each guide gives you

Beach character

A plain-English account of exposure, wave shape and who the spot can suit.

Nearest buoys

Links to nearby measured wave conditions, ordered by straight-line distance.

Nearest webcams

The closest active cameras from SurfHog's checked webcam catalogue.

Before you paddle out

Access notes and hazards worth checking in person, with current official sources.

North Cornwall

7 beaches

Low-tide rock shelves, sandy beach and clean surf lines at Crooklets
Photo by Robert Pittman

North Cornwall

Crooklets

Bude

Crooklets is Bude's accessible town beach, with a promenade, parking, surf shops and the local surf life saving club close to the sand.

A breaking winter wave at Polzeath with surfers in the water and farmland rising behind the bay
Photo by Dave Barnwell

North Cornwall

Polzeath

Wadebridge

Polzeath is a wide sandy bay near the mouth of the Camel estuary. Its easy beach access, surf schools and facilities make it one of Cornwall's busiest learning beaches.

Clean surf lines approaching Watergate Bay with surfers waiting between the peaks
Photo by Dave Barnwell

North Cornwall

Watergate Bay

Newquay

Watergate Bay is a long, open beach north of Newquay with room to spread out at lower water and a cluster of surf and food businesses near the main access.

Large turquoise waves breaking at Fistral with surfers below the Headland Hotel
Photo by Dave Barnwell

North Cornwall

Fistral

Newquay

Fistral is Newquay's best-known surf beach, a long sandy bay framed by headlands and set up for watching, learning and competing.

A rainbow over Perranporth beach with long lines of surf running along the bay
Photo by Dave Barnwell

North Cornwall

Perranporth

Perranporth

Perranporth is a broad, west-facing beach with direct town access. At low water it joins the sands towards Penhale and offers a lot of room, though not always a quiet line-up.

A surfer tucked under the turquoise lip of a breaking wave at Porthtowan
Photo by Dave Barnwell

North Cornwall

Porthtowan

St Agnes

Porthtowan is a steep-sided village beach with straightforward access. At low water the sand extends towards Lushington Cove and Chapel Porth.

A surfer setting a line across a clean green wave at Chapel Porth
Photo by Dave Barnwell

North Cornwall

Chapel Porth

St Agnes

Chapel Porth is a small National Trust cove beneath the Wheal Coates mining landscape. The beach expands dramatically at low water and nearly disappears at high water.

West Cornwall

3 beaches

Clean surf lines at Gwithian with Godrevy lighthouse beyond
Photo by Dave Barnwell

West Cornwall

Gwithian and Godrevy

Hayle

Gwithian and Godrevy form the north-eastern end of St Ives Bay, with a long sweep of sand, multiple access points and Godrevy lighthouse visible offshore.

Lines of small clean surf with surfers spread across Porthmeor beach
Photo by Dave Barnwell

West Cornwall

Porthmeor

St Ives

Porthmeor is St Ives' Atlantic-facing town beach, set between The Island and the cliffs below the Tate. It combines a compact surf beach with immediate town facilities.

Gwynver beach viewed from the steep coast path above the bay
Photo by Dave Barnwell

West Cornwall

Sennen and Gwynver

Land's End

Sennen Cove and Gwynver are adjoining sections of a long west-facing sweep near Land's End. They join across the sand at low tide, but their access and character differ: Sennen has village facilities and an easy beach approach, while Gwynver lies below steep cliffs and a demanding path.

South Cornwall

4 beaches

Surfers in small waves at Marazion with St Michael's Mount across the bay
Photo by Dave Barnwell

South Cornwall

Marazion

Mount's Bay

Marazion is a broad sandy beach beside the town, looking across Mount's Bay to St Michael's Mount. It has easy access and facilities, but an unreliable surf window.

A surfer riding a clean green wave at Perranuthnoe, framed by foreground branches
Photo by Dave Barnwell

South Cornwall

Perranuthnoe

Mount's Bay

Perranuthnoe is a cliff-backed sand and shingle beach east of Marazion. It is quieter than the main resort beaches, but almost all of the beach disappears at high water.

Surfers sharing a clean winter wave at Praa Sands with the rocky headland beyond
Photo by Dave Barnwell

South Cornwall

Praa Sands

Mount's Bay

Praa Sands is a long sandy beach on the south-west side of Mount's Bay. It is one of the area's main options when swell reaches the south coast.

A clean Porthleven reef wave breaking beside the harbour wall, with surfers and photographers watching
Photo by Dave Barnwell

South Cornwall

Porthleven

Porthleven

Porthleven's harbour sits beside Cornwall's best-known south-coast reef. The wave is compelling to watch and belongs in a guide, but it is not a general-access surf spot.

Across Cornwall

1 guide

A surfer carving across a clean offshore reef wave with spray blowing from the crest
Photo by Dave Barnwell

Across Cornwall

Secret spots

Cornwall's coast

Cornwall has more surfable corners than any short list can name. Staying local, chatting to locals and walking the coast when it is flat can reveal banks, offshore reefs and coves that maps alone do not explain.

A guide cannot tell you it is safe to paddle out

Conditions, banks, access and lifeguard patrols change. Check the beach in person, read local signs, stay within your ability and use a lifeguarded beach where possible. No flags means no lifeguards.

Read Cornwall Council beach safety advice, opens in a new tab