Bude – Crooklets

Bude · Cornwall · United Kingdom

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Bude – Crooklets (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/bude-crooklets.

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Crooklets is the more northerly of Bude's two town beaches: a sandy bay with rock shelves and pools on each side. When the tide is out, one stretch of sand runs all the way south to Summerleaze. The banks give peaks both ways. When the tide is in, it is busy with surfers and bodyboarders.

Level
Beginners
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring, summer
Boards
A longboard or foam board in small summer surf; a shortboard or fish when it picks up.

When it works

✓ A 1–2 m west swell with a light easterly wind, from low to mid tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Westerly and north-westerly winds blow straight in, and the rocks at each end get in the way at high tide.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • rocks

Best months

April, May, June, September, October, November

Local tips

Stay clear of the rock ledges at either end, where the rips run out. Dogs are banned on Crooklets in summer daytime, so plan ahead if you travel with one.

Getting there

There is a large car park right behind the beach, with steps and a ramp from the seafront.

History

Bude is where Britain's first surf life saving club was set up, in 1953, by the Australian Alan Kennedy.

Travel notes

How often it works
It faces the open Atlantic and picks up most west and north-west swells, so it has waves on many days of the year. The sandbanks move with the seasons.
Crowd and vibe
Busy in the summer holidays and on sunny weekends, with lessons and bodyboarders in the shallows. The line-up is mostly relaxed.
Camping and vans
Wooda Farm Holiday Park is about a mile and a half from Bude and its beaches. Wild camping is not allowed on the Cornish coast, so use a licensed site. Nearest campsite about 2.5 km away.
Facilities
A café, a beach shop, toilets and the car park are all at the beach. The rest of Bude's shops are a short walk away.
Water quality
Rated excellent in the 2025 English bathing-water classification (Crooklets).

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–WNW best, SW–NNW works
Size
1–2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.5 m, holds to 3 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 11 s
Wind
Offshore NE–SE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
low, mid best
Faces
W (270°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

Nearby spots

All spots in Cornwall · All spots

Sources