10 of the best places to go surfing in Cornwall

Surfing in Cornwall is an incredible thing to do. It's about as British as fish and chips, and gives you a chance to get out and enjoy nature. However, finding the right place to go can be incredibly difficult. All around the Cornish peninsula are fantastic places hidden away in idyllic bays, and gorgeous golden sandy beaches.

We work with many surf schools around the UK, along with many other types of experiential business. We've even been surfing with a fair few of them! As a result, we know a little bit about where some pretty excellent spots are.

Perranporth Surf School

What we love: It's run directly off Perranporth beach in the middle of the town itself, which is a bit less crowded than Newquay, and just a few miles down the road. Perranporth Surf School offers lessons and experiences for beginners as well as the more advanced surfers and for everyone from the ages of 7 and up.

Book surf lessons with Perranporth surf school here

Big Green Surf School

What we love: Crantock beach is a gorgeous location with magnificent local scenery and part of the National Trust. Big Green Surf School is the only surf school operating at this location, so a great spot to enjoy uncrowded waves as well as stunning stand-up paddleboard tours, surfaris and bodyboarding experiences. 

Book surf and SUP lessons with Big Green surf school here

Westcountry Surf School

What we love: Run by a dynamic brother & sister duo, this north Newquay surf school is pretty fantastically located on the amazingly beautiful Watergate Beach. With expert instructors and by keeping the groups small they focus on keeping you safe and getting you surfing.

Book surf lessons with Westcountry surf school here

Global Boarders

What we love: Focusing on delivering outstanding surf lessons to both tourists and locals alike, Global Boarders work across some of Cornwall’s most amazing beaches, including Praa Sands, St Ives Bay and Gwithian.

Book surf lessons with Global Boarders here

Walking on Waves Croyde

What we love: Run by one of Britain’s most successful surfers, Sarah Whiteley, Walking on Waves offers surf lessons to people of all ages and abilities, they can introduce you to surfing, improve your riding or fundamentally rebuild your surfing skills. They're located in the beautiful Croyde and Saunton Sands, an extensive beach with long, elegant waves north of Cornwall.

Book surf and SUP lessons with Walking on Waves here

Edge Watersports

What we love: Ok, this isn't technically a surf school. However, it offers amazing kitesurfing, stand-up paddleboarding, and kayaking. Run by one of the world's foremost kiteboarders, Steph Bridge, they're a great place to get your adrenaline pumping.

Book Kitesurfing, SUP, and kayaking with Edge watersports here

Cornish Rock Tors

What we love: This isn't actually a surf school either. Instead they offer adventurous coasteering, stand-up paddleboarding, and kayaking. It's a gorgeous location, and they are perfect if you're looking for a really wild alternative experience.

Book coasteering, SUP, and kayaking with Cornish Rock Tors here

H2Outdoor

What we love: H2Outdoor not only offer surfing and surf lessons, they also provide a range of exciting watersports activities such as coasteering, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, as well as wild swimming and combined adventure packages. Located in beautiful North Devon they're a bit further up the coast from Cornwall.

Book your next watersports adventure with H2Outdoor here

South West SUP

What we love: This is not really a surfing school, but do instead focus on stand-up paddleboarding experiences. Based from their unique and absolutely stunning waterfront location at Royal William Yard, Plymouth, their mission is to give you the ultimate experience, keeping the group sizes small and guarantee you will be stand-up paddling by the end of the sessions even as a beginner.

To try out SUP with South West SUP book here

Ocean High

What we love: A versatile watersports business located on the beach in south Cornwall just in front of the beautiful St Michael's Mount, offering kitesurfing and powerkite lessons, stand-up paddle tours around the island as well as kayaking and equipment for hire. 

Book your next experience with Ocean High here

There are so many incredible places around the Cornish peninsular to try different watersports, and lots more surf schools not on our list. If you want to find more places to try out some of these activities and many more, check out eola. 

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Looking for a booking system to help you run your outdoor activities? eola is dedicated to helping instructors and outdoor activity centres share their passion with more people. We reduce your administrative burdens, so you can have more time to spend doing what you love. Find out more at our watersports page.

Still not sure this is something for you? Have a look at 5 reasons why you should give watersports a go