Bude
The RNLI district of Bude is made up of Blackrock, Widemouth, Summerleaze, Crooklets, Northcott, and Sandymouth on the West Coast with Westward Ho! and Sandymere tucked away further up the coast to the north. Recognisable by its dramatic landscape, there's something magical about this stretch of coast, with dozens of strange and wonderful rock formations and outcrops giving this area masses of character.
Blackrock joins up with the neighbouring beach Widemouth for most of the day, but at high tide it becomes cut off, looming up out of the water majestically. This is an excellent beach for photography enthusiasts because of the unique outcrops and the spectacular light. The sunsets round here are legendary, and apart from very early in the morning, Blackrock gets sunlight all day long.
Widemouth is surrounded by intriguing rock formations, most notably the spectacular Blackrock, and all of these somehow give the beach a rather ancient, mystical feel. It's easy to imagine the area being battered and shaped by the sea over the centuries and you get a real sense of history when you stand on this coast. It's no surprise then that Widemouth is one of the most exciting places for rock pooling, with a plethora of marine life to be spotted on its shores. There are shops and cafes nearby, with Café Widemouth selling a wide selection of ice creams, hot drinks and hot foods to take away.
Just along the coast to the North is Summerleaze, which is an enormously well-loved destination, and it's easy to see why. Surrounded by sand dunes on one side and a canal on the other, this beach has loads of personality with plenty to look at, including the Bude Lifeboat Station that is based here. When the tide's out there's a seawater pool that is ideal for children and those less sure about swimming in the sea, and just nearby is Summerleaze leisure centre where you can play pitch and putt or squash after a long day on the beach.
Further up the coast is Crooklets, another photogenic beach with impressive rock formations and dramatic cliffs. Crooklets is popular with visitors and locals alike due to its close proximity to the town centre and its reputation for clean waters and great amenities. You can hire beach huts here, which make great bases with plenty of room for beach equipment as well as enough space to wriggle out of your swimmers without embarrassment!
Northcott is a rural beach set in a National Trust area. A pretty low key affair, this beach has a relaxing, tranquil atmosphere, and is great for spotting wildlife as it is relatively undisturbed. There's a small café nearby, which offers hot drinks and ice creams, and has toilets.
Northwa
rds is Sandymouth, another National Trust beach with a lovely National Trust café where you can buy hot drinks and mouth-watering cake. Beautiful for walking, especially at low tide, this beach has enchanting sunsets. Bring a picnic, a blanket and your loved ones, and settle down to watch the sky change as the sun sinks slowly into the ocean.
Next is Sandymere, which is renowned for its watersports. Three local residential activity centres use this water for a variety of activities, which means there is plenty of scope for joining in, whether learning something new, polishing up old skills or showing off existing talents, and if you're not feeling quite so active the pebble and sand-covered beach is a charming spot to sit down and spectate.
Finally, we come to Westward Ho! This is another blue flag beach and is incredibly popular with families because of its clean waters and outstanding amenities. It also has a lost child centre should one of the little folk wander off, which provides that extra peace of mind for parents. Deck chairs are available to hire here and the beach is lined with traditional beach huts, both of which work to give Westward Ho! a jaunty, old fashioned air. Surfing, canoeing and kite surfing are all popular here, and the nearby Tarka Trail is a must for bicycle enthusiasts and walkers alike. For those without bikes it is possible to hire them at reasonable prices from the nearby bideford bicycle hire and with a wide range of bicycles on offer - from tandems to trailers to tag-a-longs to trikes - it'll be no problem finding bikes to suit the whole family.
Author: Chelsey Flood © Coastal Britain 2007