Gwithian: A great place to surf in Cornwall

I’ve always thought there was something sweet and a little deluded about British surfers. Sure, this is an island and there are loads of nice beaches. But when it comes to waves, it’s not as if we have the big surf of Hawaii or the iconic breaks of Australia. And yet, surf aficionados like me can find some very nice beaches for learning.

I’ve tried several spots with varying success, but I’ve just returned from Gwithian, and it’s gone straight to the top of my list.

Gwithian is in Cornwall, outside of St. Ives, just by Godrevy beach. We took lessons with some nice guys at Gwithian Surf Academy (GAS). My friend G found the academy, which not only offers package deals of lessons and rentals (board, wetsuit & booties) but also self-catering accommodation via Gwithian Holidays. For £200 per person we had 3 nights’ accommodation plus 3 lessons with rentals.

First impressions of the accommodation: “It’s nice! I thought it would be skanky,” mused G after the owner showed us around the small apartment building. (It’s a family affair, the father owns the apartment and the son runs the surf academy.)

“I thought it would be, you know, for surfers…that level of quality,” she said. Take heed, surfers with high standards, you have come home. The apartment gives the impression of having been outfitted and decorated with care. In the living area, a leather-look loveseat with mushroom-coloured throw sits opposite a TV with DVD player. In the corner of the room, just beside a table that seats 3 is a small but modern kitchen. The bedroom has a double and a single bed and a very modern shower room (the vanity mirror has tiny embedded lights you turned on and off by waving your hand underneath).

Comfortable beds – tick.

Hot shower with good water pressure – tick.

Free wifi – tick!

To be honest, I was excited/dreading surfing for two hours in cold Cornwall water in April. In actuality, the midweight wetsuits supplied by the school meant that I couldn’t even feel the cold while wading in. (A quick note about wetsuits – just forget your dignity when putting one on. Imagine wrestling a seal in a black bin bag, while grunting and puffing. And while wetsuits make buff male instructors look like sea gods, they somehow flatten breasts and highlight rounded tummies in women. Sara Blakely, where are you when we need you?)

The beach just beside Gwithian is Godrevy beach. It gets an Atlantic swell and at one end, just off the coast, sits Godrevy Lighthouse – the  lighthouse referenced in Virgina Woolfe’s To the Lighthouse. (Sadly, it’s on private land and not open to visitors.)

It’s sandy and the waves were perfect for beginners all 3 days we surfed. They come in regular and small, like pinwale corduroy. We learned on long foam boards although experienced shortboarders catch bigger waves further out. When you take a lesson with GAS, you get use of the wetsuit and board free for the rest of the day, making a 10:30 to 12:30 lesson a good investment for a full day’s worth of instruction and practice.

Every day locals and visitors came and went, either with rented boards or their own kit, yet the waves only felt crowded once, on Saturday when two groups of surf lessons, plus ours plus some freelance surfers all hit the waves at once. Otherwise, the beach felt populated but not overrun. All day dog walkers threw balls and their charges speed along the sand. It all felt quite joyful.

Just over the hill is a colony of grey seals. We were told it was a 45 walk up starting from the area where we were surfing. Alternatively, you can drive up, park in the National Trust parking lot (bring your membership card or pay £3.50) and it’s a short stroll to see the animals. There’s a cafe just beside the NT parking lot, another called the Sandsifter, In Gwithian, there’s a nice pub that we were told serves good food, and I know pulls good pints.

It was affordable, comfortable and friendly.

Here, 5 tips for enjoying a break to the area:

1. Book surf lessons with the friendly folks at Gwithian Academy of Surfing, where you’re provided with helpful advice on improving your pop-up and cheers when you surf all the way to shore.

2. Bring your binoculars and walk up to see the seals at the seal colony.

3. Visit the awesome Trevaskis Farm Market. Gorgeous meat counter, the most delicious local strawberries I’ve ever tasted (and this is in April!), all kinds of Cornish fudge, basic groceries and local goodies, and a Farmhouse Kitchen restaurant next door that sounds great (if your surf partner isn’t cooking roasted chicken for you in your self-catering accommodation, like mine was). In season, you can pick your own on the farm.

4. On bad weather days, drive to St Ives and take the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden gallery tour. The museum is two rooms in Hepworth’s former house and studio. If you’re walking through on your own you might spend 15 minutes and think, “Nice, but…” The gallery tour brings to life her work and its evolution and left us looking at her sculpture with entirely fresh eyes. (Entry is free to Tate members.)

5. Mr B’s ice cream in Hayle is rumoured to be some of the best in Cornwall. Try a scoop of lemon meringue pie or Snickers ice cream and judge for yourself.

Other surfing spots in the UK:

• Read my review of Watergate Bay, another great sandy beach for surfing, featured in Budget Travel
• The Guardian’s list of UK’s best surfing spots

With the excellent instructor Gavin

Godrevy Beach

a GAS t-shirt

Jen of Jenography, surfing

Barbara Hepworth sculpture

G adjusts her surf booties

Jennifer Howze

I’m a journalist and blogger. Previously I was The Times’s online lifestyle editor and Alpha Mummy blogger. Now I’m co-founder of BritMums and BritMums Live! – our annual blogging conference that draws hundreds. Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Google+.