Five surfing spots in Cornwall you may never have heard of

There are a ridiculous number of surfing beaches around the coast of Cornwall. We have counted seventy-five – and that’s not including the “proper secret” spots. Everyone’s heard of Fistral, Polzeath and Sennen, and serious surfers rate Porthleven and others. But as all the spots start to get crowded in summer, our attention turns to the lesser known, some would say unheard-of breaks. Here are some of our favourites:

Millook Haven – hanging with the hard-core

Vintage footage from Millook in the 80’s

Millook, semi-hidden halfway between Bude and Crackington Haven, is the absolute classic Cornish ex-secret spot and one of the country’s best shallow reef breaks. Works only on a pretty big swell, mind you! There’s no proper parking nearby, either, and all the local guys in the lineup, so make sure you know how to play nicely. Not for beginners. Not for the faint-hearted either, or for the fragile; you might want to wear a helmet.

Strangles – between Bude and Boscastle

Unknown and uncrowded in part because it is reached by a narrow path, winding 140m (450′) down a rocky hillside. Strangles is mostly sand between a few large rocks, but strong currents and undertow make this beach unsafe for swimming unless it’s very calm. For a competent surfer, however, it can be navigated with ease and is a good place on the north coast to avoid the usual crowds.

Lustyglaze – the thinking surfer’s family Newquay beach

The privately-owned Lustyglaze beach is less well-known than Great Western, Toclarne and Towan that are immediately adjacent. You can walk onto the beach from Tolcarne at very low tide, but the primary access is down a very emotional, twisting staircase that brings you down the tall cliffs. Not nice for the vertigo sufferer to descend, or for the unfit to climb back up! Still, sometimes you have to do some work to “earn your turns”. It is, however, a super family beach, with café and restaurant, toilets, a creche and a watersports shop. This classic beach break has lifeguard cover and is popular with all kinds of surfers, but usually not overcrowded because the beach is so wide at low to mid tide.

Porth Joke – five miles (8km) from Newquay

Porth Joke, also called Polly Joke by locals, is a narrow, north-west facing inlet just to the west of Newquay. It’s an oasis of peace and tranquillity all the year round, with a relatively small car park and a long walk to the beach. It is, however, a wide and pleasant beach break at low tide, with the possibility of long, sweeping, point-break-style lefts if a big westerly swell wraps around the headland. At mid tide the cove narrows, potentially making the best of a small swell. A permanent stream feeds a rip in the middle part of the break.

Rinsey Cove – between Penzance and Helston

Pop around the headland at the south end of Praa Sands beach, and you’ll find yourself in Rinsey Cove, also called Porthcew. It’s a tough descent down a not very family-friendly path from the Rinsey car park, right in front of the Wheal Prosper mine engine house. Here we find the same size waves as Praa Sands, but more hollow – reminiscent of the mighty Porthleven, but far less busy. A sweet point break forms near Rinsey Head at low tide on a big day and the beach disappears completely leaving us on the rocks at high water.

If you’d like to come for a quality uncrowded surf in Kernow sometime, there are loads of cottages available to rent from Cornish Traditional Cottages – any time of the year.

Just click this link to see the latest special offers. We’ll see you in the line-up!