Bude

Bude's Crooklets Beach is the bustling epicenter of town, serving up a mixed bag of lefts and rights that break over a shifting blend of sand and uneven reef. The sandbars here produce short, fast rides that demand quick reflexes, while the shorebreak can steepen into punchy, hold-up waves that are prime for a thorough pummeling. At high tide, Tower Rock springs to life with a deceptive left that peels fast and fades almost as quickly as it appears. Best on a clean, mid-to-high tide push with a west to northwesterly swell, this spot offers a lively challenge for intermediate surfers looking to sharpen their skills.

Bude faces west into the teeth of the North Atlantic, so the surf here is ruled by the storm track. Through the year, the wave climate follows a simple rhythm: a feast of powerful winter groundswell, a mellow summer lull, and a spring/autumn transition that often hides the cleanest windows. The west-facing beach means west-northwest through west-southwest swells hit hard, while the best winds blow from the east - ENE, E, ESE and SE - keeping the surface glassy.

Best Surf Season (October - March)

From October through March, Bude is in prime position. Average swell heights climb from 5-6ft (1.5-1.8m) in October to around 7ft (2.1m) in December, January and February, with periods ranging from 9 to 11 seconds. The North Atlantic low-pressure track fires storm after storm at the UK, and Bude's open west-facing beach collects that energy in the form of powerful WSWS, W and WNW groundswell. The catch is wind: these same lows often bring onshore WSW/W winds. The best days come when a high-pressure ridge builds in from the east, delivering offshore ENE-E-ESE-SE winds while the swell is still heavy. This is when Bude truly becomes a serious winter wave.