Surfing is the number one water sport in the South West. Not surprising when considering the great weather and amazing Atlantic swell.

Newquay

Internationally recognised as a global surf spot, Cornwall's Newquay attracts more international surfers a year than any other area in Britain. Beaches at Newquay include Watergate Bay, Newquay Bay, Mawgan Porth and perhaps most famously, Fistral Beach. The beaches at Newquay are conveniently placed, in that they are all facing in different directions, this means that no matter how the wind blows, you can find somewhere suitable to surf! You can get pretty much anything you need from the beaches on offer in Newquay, from the boisterous Fistral Beach with its international surf competitions (Billabong British Juniors, Animal Newquay Open and The Quicksilver event to name a few!) to the relatively low profile Mawgan Porth. With a mix of swell, you can find the type of surf to meet your abilities!

Fistral Beach, Newquay.

Constantine Bay

Constantine Bay is infamous for being a hard place to learn to surf. It's advisable to avoid Constantine Bay entirely unless you consider yourself to be a highly experienced surfer. The grassy dunes and sandy beaches make for amazing scenery and if you're looking for camping in Cornwall, the bay could be a really nice choice but be warned the reef like breaks and formidable Spring high tide make surfing at Constantine Bay not for the faint hearted.

Lusty Glaze

Surfing at Lusty Glaze beach on the other hand is a completely contrary experience. The beach lies at the bottom of 200ft cliffs and is home to an adventure centre that teaches the new generation of Cornwall lifesavers. Lusty Glaze beach offers mediocre surf, suitable for beginners and intermediate surfers and through the summer is packed out with sportsmen of this ilk, as well as sun worshippers and tourists.

Polzeath

Polzeath beach offers the same sort of experience as Lusty Glaze and is famous for its learner friendly shallow shelves. Just a busy as Fistral Beach, Polzeath is littered with surf virgins, body boarders and knee boarders. As a major tourist attraction you can find anything you need at Polzeath, from surf schools, accommodation, pubs, bars and restaurants.

Polzeath Beach.

Harlyn Bay

Harlyn Bay is a progressively more popular surf spot. Locals have seen numbers of surfers grow with each passing year. The bay, especially the East side, attracts predominantly experienced surfers as wave heights of 6ft are often managed. Harlyn Bay is also famous for its amazing natural beauty and stretches of breath-taking cliff side scenery, if camping is your thing, take a look at some online specialists such as Pitchup.com and really get the most out of your surf break in Cornwall.