United Kingdom · Atlantic Europe
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Local knowledge and community tips for Widemouth Bay
Widemouth Bay is an exposed beach break just south of Bude on the north Cornish coast. It faces west into the Atlantic and catches swell consistently. The beach is wide with multiple peaks and a mix of sand and some reef influence. It offers a step up from Bude Summerleaze in terms of power and exposure while remaining accessible for intermediates. The drive in along the coast road reveals the surf before you even park.
Picks up any westerly Atlantic swell. An easterly offshore wind creates clean conditions. Works on all tides but produces different characteristics: low tide can be hollow, mid-tide more forgiving. Consistent from September through May. The 2-6ft range is ideal. Handles more size than Summerleaze due to the deeper bay.
The beach has multiple sections separated by rock outcrops. The northern section is most popular and has the easiest access. The southern section picks up slightly more swell and has reef influence creating more defined peaks. Walk along the beach and observe the sections before choosing. Each outcrop creates slightly different wave behaviour.
Rocks and reef exposed at lower tides, particularly in the southern sections. Rip currents on bigger days. The mixed sand/reef bottom increases consequence on falls. Strong shore drift in bigger swells. Lifeguards patrol the main section in summer.
Pay car park at the north end (seasonal charges). A second smaller car park serves the southern section. Short walks to the beach from both. Surf hire, toilets, and a cafe at the main car park. Popular with families in summer.
Busy on good days as it serves the Bude area alongside Summerleaze and Crooklets. The car park section is most crowded. Walking to the southern section usually rewards you with fewer people and often better waves. Surf schools use the inside whitewater. Weekends are busiest.
Widemouth is the slightly more serious option compared to Bude Summerleaze. The southern section, beyond the main rock outcrops, produces the best waves and has fewer people. The reef influence creates more structure than the pure sand further north. If Widemouth is too big or messy, Bude Summerleaze offers a gentler alternative. The car park cafe does a solid breakfast burrito.
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Based on historical weekly averages
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 28 days of logged conditions.
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Create Profile →Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Widemouth Bay. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical mid-June.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
The best week for surf at Widemouth Bay is the week of 23 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Flat as a lake. Save your energy for another day. Short-period wind swell: expect weak, crumbly faces. Full onshore mess. Not worth the paddle unless you are desperate.
Heads up: rip risk elevated.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
Moderate water clarity: ~8m visibility
Updated 10:31
Daily scores over the last 12 months at Widemouth Bay