Putsborough

Georgeham · Devon and the south coast · United Kingdom

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Putsborough (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/putsborough.

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Putsborough sits in the far south corner of Woolacombe Sand, right below the cliffs of Baggy Point. When the wind blows from the south, the point blocks it. On those days this corner is often the cleanest wave in North Devon. The sandbanks are tricky and take a while to learn.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring, summer
Boards
A shortboard or a fish; a longboard on smaller days.

When it works

✓ A 1–2 m west to north-west swell with a south-easterly wind, from mid to high tide on the push.

When it doesn't

✕ Small swells, which barely wrap into the corner, and westerly winds.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • rocks
  • crowds

Best months

March, April, May, September, October, November

Local tips

Keep away from the rocks under Baggy Point: signs warn of rips there and say not to swim. No lifeguards work this beach. The lanes are single-track, so arrive early on busy days.

Getting there

Narrow lanes signed from Croyde lead to a large car park above the beach. Walk down the road past the shop, then down a concrete slope to the sand.

Travel notes

How often it works
Fairly consistent on west and north-west swells; the corner is smaller than the open beach but much cleaner in south and south-west winds.
Crowd and vibe
Quiet in the week, busy when the wind is south-westerly and everyone comes to the sheltered corner.
Camping and vans
Putsborough Sands Caravan Park takes static caravans only; tents go to the Croyde sites, about 3 km away. Nearest campsite about 3 km away.
Facilities
The car park has toilets, and there is a beach shop with a café. There are no lifeguards.
Water quality
Rated excellent in the 2025 English bathing-water classification (Putsborough).

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–NW best, WSW–NNW works
Size
1.2–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.7 m, holds to 3 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 11 s
Wind
Offshore E–S; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid, high best, on the rising tide
Faces
NW (310°)

Live cam

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

Nearby spots

All spots in Devon and the south coast · All spots

Sources