Bude: Sea Pool, Beaches & Things to Do
Up near the Devon border, Bude is a relaxed, old-fashioned seaside town with big surf beaches, dramatic cliffs and one of the best things in Cornwall: a free sea-water swimming pool built into the rocks.
Top things to do in Bude
- Swim in Bude Sea Pool, a large tidal pool built into the rocks at Summerleaze in the 1930s and refreshed by the sea at high tide. It's free to use and looked after by a local charity.
- Learn to surf at Summerleaze, Crooklets or Widemouth Bay. Bude has several surf schools.
- Walk or cycle the Bude Canal, a flat towpath from the sea lock inland, which is great with a pushchair.
- The Castle Heritage Centre tells the story of Bude and inventor Goldsworthy Gurney, whose castle it is.
- Walk the cliffs south towards Widemouth for big views up and down the coast.
Beaches
Summerleaze is right by the town centre, huge at low tide, and has the sea pool. Crooklets is next door, with beach huts and surf. Widemouth Bay, a few miles south, is a long, open surf beach. All of them have lifeguards in season.
Getting there
Bude has no railway station, so most people drive in on the A39. It's a good base for Tintagel and Port Isaac to the south.
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