Woolacombe bay

Edit Spot

About

Ideal for beginners. good for intermediates on a 2-3 foot day. great atmosphere. lots of surf culture.

Atmosphere:
Can get very crowded in the summer, but life guards do their job well and keep the swimmers etc out of the big surf areas. 3miles of beach so if its getting full just walk a little. The whole bay holds waves in a 2-3 foot swell. Surfable at 1-2feet swell but short rides. Atmosphere is very good all year round.

Additional Info:
Drive down to the esplanade carpark and walk 50 metres into the water. cafe on the beach is good and cheap. 3surf shops in town do everything inc rental of suits / boards and surf school. Eat at the Red Barn in the evening, huge portions, great food, cheap and lost of surfers and surfing decor too. Life guards patrol from 2 4X4 in high season
There is a woolacombe longboarders club for thw older dudes like me. Special access off the rocks near the benches on the headland, only accessable at high tide and best left to the locals as there are plenty of rocks under water. Otherwise plenty of other peaks, best are at the town end and the other opposite the tiny river mouth.

Location

Access

Drive from the M5 to barnstable on good fast A road then to Woolacombe. About 1hr 15min from the motorway overall. The beach is 3 miles long with town at Left hand end & lots of beach parking.

Walk	Instant access (<5 min)
Public access	Yes
4x4 required	Unknown
Boat required	Unknown

Wave Characteristics

Type	Beach break
Direction	Right and left
Bottom	Sandy with rock
Power	Ordinary, Fun
Frequency	Regular (100 days/year)
Normal length	Normal (50 to 150m)
Good day length	Normal (50 to 150m)

Ideal Conditions

Wind direction	NorthWest, West, SouthWest
Swell direction	SouthEast, East, NorthEast
Swell size	Less than 3ft - 6ft+
Tide	Low and mid tide
Tide movement	Rising tide