Tag: parking

Surf Perranporth: Like Newquay but Better

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For many people (“townies”, as my mum would say), Newquay is the only place that exists west of Plymouth and THE place to go surfing. While the surf on the North Cornwall coast is arguably the best in England, Newquay beaches included, due to the town’s reputation it can be logistical nightmare.

Go down on a sunny day, peak season, and parking is impossible and/or bank-breaking. The roads are full of kids, wannabe surfers and other things you shouldn’t run over. Drinks are too expensive, there’s litter everywhere, the sea is full of idiots and the evenings are full of late-teens throwing up alcopops.

That said, it depends what you’re after – I sound like an ancient woman but I’m guilty of throwing up alcopops on occasion, and Newquay is Cornwall’s [slightly trashy] tourist party central. With regards to surfing, arrive early enough and you should be okay to park and grab a small slice of beach space, although be aware that the masses will descend.

When I took a few friends on a spontaneous trip in August we went for the primary purpose of surfing  (drinking just kind of happened). Having surfed in Newquay before, I wanted to avoid the carnage and try somewhere new so we went to Perranporth, about 8 miles southwest of Newquay.

Perranporth beach is long, wide, sandy and edged by highly explorable rockpools, caves, dunes and grassy areas.  The surf is good and there are surf-only, lifeguarded areas, as well as swim/bodyboard areas. When we went the surf was decent, with 4-5ft waves spaced fairly nicely and breaking a fair way out.

The colourful little town has a lively (if touristy) buzz to it and there are plenty of shops, surf hire places, cafes and pubs/bars, although understandably not as many as Newquay (and they aren’t as trashy). We hired decent foam surf boards from Piran Surf for just £6/day, which is way cheaper than anywhere I’d been in Newquay, and food and drinks were priced fairly – use Tripadvisor to find the sort of thing you’re after. There are public loos at the Watering Hole bar/restaurant at the back of the beach and in the town. We arrived early and parked for just £5.50/day (free overnight) in Droskyn car park, which overlooks the beach and is a pleasant 10min walk from the town centre.

Overall, Perranporth is a buzzing little town with equal surf, more reasonable prices and fewer people than Newquay. It does get busy on a sunny day so get there early to ensure you get a parking spot and a bit of space on the beach (although people tend to stick to the town end – there’ll be loads of space if you’re willing to walk a little way). The flagged surfing areas are popular, although much less so than Newquay, and not so much so that you can’t surf. You can get away from surfing outside of the flags if you go to the left of the big  “Chapel Rock Pool” Island-type rock at the South end of the beach.

So my overall advice – if surfing is your priority, pick Perranporth over Newquay. If you’re out to get messy-drunk, regret getting laid or be a general public nuisance, go partay in Newquay. And please be nice to the locals, they dislike us enough as it is.

Read about my trip here – Spontaneous Surf Trip, Perranporth, August ’18

Our debut album cover

Endnote: I write this following on from my recent trip – don’t rule out other beaches!

Spontaneous Surf Trip, Perranporth, August ’18

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Bored of being home for five days straight, I roped some friends into a spontaneous surfing trip. We left Winchester on Friday evening and stopped for dinner on the way, not arriving in Perranporth on the North Cornwall coast until the early hours of Saturday. We were fortunate enough to discover Droskyn car park, which had plenty of space and grassy areas where my friends could (naughtily) pitch their tents.

 

First light on Saturday morning revealed how lucky we were to have found that car park. I looked out of the van window over the long, wide expanse of sand, backed by picturesque cliffs and flanked by the open sea on one side and the colourful little town on the other. There were public loos by the car park (which were unlocked shortly after we got up) and it only cost £5.50 to park all day – much cheaper than elsewhere. A quick tip if you go – get there early as although there were just a handful of cars/vans there overnight (no charge), it got busy during the day.

 

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The view from Droskyn car park

 

We walked down the hill into the town (about 10mins), had breakfast at a little café and found surf boards to hire for £6/day at Piran Surf – much cheaper than anywhere I’d been in Newquay. A 10-min walk to the water and we were splashing around in no time, attempting to surf like the bunch of idiots we always have been and always will be.

 

Bertie brought his own board, although it had been neglected for a long time – I liked its small size but it needed a clean and a sex-wax-up as it was frustratingly slippery. The 8ft foam boards we’d hired were really good (for beginners!) as they were buoyant, grippy and stable, if cumbersome. I reluctantly followed everyone’s advice and wore a wetsuit, which with hindsight I definitely don’t regret.

 

The waves were 4-5ft and spaced fairly nicely, although sometimes they all came at once and then not at all. We all improved as the day went on; I just regret not having a board mount for the GoPro (the adhesive takes 24hrs or so to stick), as the footage from my wrist strap isn’t the best. I did plenty of standing up and surfing around (not into) people – promise!

 

After a full day surfing (except a short break for an obligatory pasty) we hit the pub for dinner and ended up playing pool and making friends in The Deck, an “interesting” bar (I later found out we probably should have gone to the Watering Hole, but that can happen next time). A few too many ciders later and I was “assisted” up the hill to bed.

 

We woke on Sunday to heavy heads and a beach shrouded in sea fog. We met our Cornish friend for breakfast and hired boards again, then messed around on the beach waiting for the fog to clear. Just as Simon, Matt and Bruce were about to give up and go home, the veil lifted and the lifeguards opened the sea. We surfed at the North then the South end of the beach, eventually and reluctantly deciding that we should head home.

 

Our debut album cover
Waiting for the fog to clear

 

I’d recommend Perranporth over Newquay any day, so much so that I wrote a blog post on it – read it here. Overall, I had a great weekend in a lovely place with decent company. Note to self for next time : swallow less a) seawater, and b) cider.