Bossiney Cove is a small sheltered beach surrounded by large cliffs. It faces north and needs a large swell to start working properly. Your best chance of surfing Bossiney Cove is through autumn and winter.
Located just north of Tintagel it’s easy to access from the Atlantic Highway. There’s a small car park with space for approximately 10 cars, and in the summer months, there’s a field that opens up with a donation box for extra parking.
To access the beach you’ll need to go through the small style to the left of the gate. You can head down to your left or walk across the field to access the right-hand side of the bay.
Both routes involve some scrambling but heading over the field to the right you have to traverse down the cliff with your board making life pretty treacherous.
Surfing at Bossiney Cove
You can only surf at Bossiney Cove for about two hours on either side of low tide when the ocean starts to expose some sand at either side of the bay.
Because it faces north it’s a great option when west-facing beaches are getting blown to pieces by onshore winds from the southwest.
Main beaches at places like Bude and Widemouth need to be well overhead before a small wave will start to break here. Swell wraps around the headline and refracts off the cliff creating wedgy peaks that break up and down the beach.
Because the ocean floor quickly rises from deep to shallow the waves here break with some serious force. The powerful wedges you can find surfing Bossiney make it popular with bodyboarders and experienced shortboarders alike.
The waves are biggest at the north end of the bay where a fast barreling right-hander breaks just off the side of the cliff before reeling into the bay.
You’ll find a ranging a-frame peak in the centre of the bay with plenty of barrels on larger days.
The left-hand side of Bossiney Cove is more sheltered from swell but it can provide some shelter when the wind goes west and the rocky outcrop at the side of the beach can offer some fun punchy lefts in the right conditions.
Surf spots around Bossiney Cove
Bossiney Cove sits on North Cornwall’s wave-rich coast so if the waves are too small there are plenty of other surf spots close by.
If you went to Bossiney because it’s blowing a gale but the waves are too small, consider checking out Crackington Haven. It’s still sheltered by big cliffs but picks up lots more swell.
Head over to our guide on surfing at Crackington Haven for more tips on when to go and what to expect.
If you’re stills set on surfing shallow powerful beach break peaks then Trebarwith Strand to the south could be a perfect choice.
This quiet, fickle beachie can get really good from low to mid but with lots of close-outs, it requires some patience to get it right.
Is it dangerous to surf at Bossiney?
It can get crowded here and the fast, powerful waves mean it’s only suitable for advanced surfers. The shallow sand bottom can make for some powerful slams and dangerous wipeouts.
Can you longboard/stand-up paddleboard at Bossiney Cove?
When the waves are small it’s perfect for some fun on a foamie or longboard. As soon as the swell gets overhead high the waves here get steep and fast leaving only the best longboarders out in the line-up.
Is there somewhere to eat after your surf?
There’s a small cafe next t the car park to get some after-surf grub or you can head down the road to Tintagel for fish and chips or a pub meal.
