Holywell Bay

Holywell · Cornwall · United Kingdom

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Holywell Bay (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/holywell-bay.

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Holywell Bay is a large sandy beach with high dunes south of Crantock, with two rocky islets offshore. It is a fairly exposed beach break with peaks both ways, and it works at all tides. The bay gives some shelter from south-westerly winds.

Level
Beginners
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring, summer
Boards
Foam boards and longboards for learners; a shortboard or fish when it is punchy.

When it works

✓ A 1–2 m west swell with a south-easterly wind, at any tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Westerly and north-westerly winds blow it out, and big swells bring strong rips.

Watch out for

  • rips

Best months

April, May, June, September, October, November

Local tips

The rips here are strong, so stay between the flags in summer. The walk from the car park to the sand takes about five minutes.

Getting there

A National Trust car park in the village, then a five-minute level path through the dunes.

Travel notes

How often it works
Fairly consistent: it faces west and works on most swells all year.
Crowd and vibe
Busy with holiday parks in summer, quiet the rest of the year.
Camping and vans
Trevornick Holiday Park sits beside the beach, and Holywell Bay Holiday Park has direct access to the sands. Nearest campsite about 0.5 km away.
Facilities
Holywell village has toilets, a beach shop, a takeaway and a pub.
Water quality
Rated excellent in the 2025 English bathing-water classification (Holywell Bay).

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–NW best, SW–NNW works
Size
1–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.6 m, holds to 3 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 11 s
Wind
Offshore E–SSE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
WNW (300°)

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