The beaches around Bude are one of the areas main attractions. With long sandy stretches, rock pools rich with sea life and stunning cliff backdrops – it’s not hard to see why we get so many visitors each year to Bude and its beaches.
Despite being the green glistening sea and endless golden sand, our beautiful beaches (at times) have some dangers that are not so clear to see. Luckily, we have an amazing team of RNLI Beach Lifeguards in Bude all working hard to keep the local beaches of Bude safe for people to visit.
Each beach is lifeguarded at different dates and times of the season due to beach popularity and visitor numbers. This means there is not always lifeguard cover on every beach in Bude even when the sun is shining (… which it always is in Bude).
So what dates and what times are the lifeguards on duty on Bude’s beautiful beaches?
Well, we have created this handy little beach lifeguard guide for which beaches around the Bude area have lifeguard cover and when.
Just click on the links below to see the lifeguard dates and times of your favourite Bude beach…
Crackington Haven Beach Lifeguard Patrol Dates & Times 2024
- Sat 13th July – Sun 1st September 2024
- Beach Lifeguard Patrol times: 10am – 6pm daily
Located around 5 miles south of Widemouth Bay. It is a narrow bay flanked by a very large cliff on it’s north side called Penkenna and some more rolling hills and cliffs on it’s south side. The beach sits at the end of a valley that has a small carpark a pub and 2 cafes. A small stream meanders down the valley and on to the beach itself making a lovely and safe watery playground for kids and dam enthusiasts! The top of the beach is mainly pebbles which then gives way to low lying rocks before hard packed sand at mid and low tide. The waves at Crackington can be good for learning to surf, however there is not a huge amount of space due to how narrow the bay is.
Blackrock Beach Lifeguard Patrol Dates & Times 2024
- Sat 18th May – Sun 29th September 2024
- Beach Lifeguard Patrol times: 10am – 6pm
Blackrock Beach is located at the south end of Widemouth Bay and is popular due to being a dog friendly beach all year round. It has a private carpark which homes a cafe, toilets and a shop. The beach is home to a large black rock (know as Blackrock!) that sits on a bed of low lying rocks which provide great rock pools to explore. The north side of the beach is mainly sand before you get to the dividing rocks that mark the separation between Widemouth and Blackrock. It is a good place to surf and any beginner or intermediate may wish to aim for the north side of Blackrock around mid-tide. There are a couple of reef breaks that work when the tide is right and the swell is a certain size but I’m not saying anymore than that!
Widemouth Bay Beach Lifeguard Patrol Dates & Times 2024
- Easter School Holidays: Fri 29th March – Sun 14th April 2024
- Weekend: Sat 20th & Sun 21st, Sat 27th & Sun 28th April
- Daily: Sat 4th May – Sun 29th September
- Weekends Only: Sat 5th October — Sun 13th October
- October Half Term: Sat 19th – Sun 27th October 2024
- Beach Lifeguard Patrol times: 10am – 6pm
Widemouth Bay is a popular beach for visitors. It lies just a few miles south of Bude and is a large open beach with Blackrock beach to the south and a bed of rocks to the north which is home to some great rock pools and a Camel! The carpark sits just at the top of the beach and has toilets, a cafe, a shop and a pub nearby. It is a popular beach for water users (especially surfers) and is the only beach in Bude to have a designated surfing area marked out by black and white checkered flags making it a great place to learn surf (See our beginners surfing guide to Widemouth Bay). The waves are often best at mid-tide and there are reef breaks for the more experienced surfer but I’m not telling you where or when but I will see you there!
Summerleaze Beach Lifeguard Patrol Dates & Times 2024
- Easter School Holidays: Fri 29th March – Sun 14th April
- Weekend: Sat 20th & Sun 21st, Sat 27th & 28th April
- Daily: Sat 4th May – Sun 29th September
- Weekends Only: Sat 5th October — Sun 13th October
- October Half Term: Sat 19th – Sun 27th October
- Beach Lifeguard Patrol times: 10am – 6pm
Summerleaze Beach is one of the busiest beaches in Bude. It is the closest beach to Bude town, has a large carpark and level access. The beach has river mouth and harbour on its north side which is protected by a large breakwater. The south side of the beach is home to the famous Bude Sea Pool and further still is Middle and Crooklets Beach. Summerleaze is a great place to learn surf (See our beginners surfing guide to Summerleaze) due to the shape of the bay at high tide. It is also popular with intermediate and advanced level surfers due to the consistent direction that the waves break. At mid and lower tides the currents can become quite strong and so care should always be taken.
Crooklets Beach Lifeguard Patrol Dates & Times 2024
- Sat 18th May – Sun 29th September
- Beach Lifeguard Patrol times: 10am – 6pm
Crooklets Beach is located close to Bude town and adjoins Summerleaze Beach at mid and low tide. It has plenty of car parking and a number of cafes, bars as well as a skate park close by making it a popular beach for visitors. It is a narrow beach which has a steep shelf at high tide making the higher tides a more challenging experience for water users. It can be a tricky place to learn to surf especially when the waves are over waist high. For more experienced surfers the waves can get really good here at higher tides but you will have to suss out how to bag a few as it is a popular spot for local rippers!
Northcott Beach Lifeguard Patrol Dates & Times 2024
- Sat 13th July – Sun 1st September
- Beach Lifeguard Patrol Times: 10am – 6pm
Northcott Beach is located about a mile north of Bude. It has a small carpark which is normally free to use and is run by the National Trust. There are no toilet facilities or shops at the beach, however there is a lovely tea garden which is always worth a visit. The beach itself has a steep pebble ridge which descends towards rocks which can span the whole beach (sand shifts around which means sometimes the rocks are covered up and sometimes they are not… that’s nature folks!). At mid to low tide the beach opens up in to a sandy beach and you can walk all the way to Bude and Sandymouth on spring tides. The surf here can get good and is ideal for intermediate and advanced level surfers.
Sandymouth Beach Lifeguard Patrol Dates & Times 2024
- Sat 18th May – Sun 29th September
- Beach Lifeguard Patrol Times: 10am – 6pm
Sandymouth beach is located a couple of miles north of Bude. The carpark is run by the National Trust which has a small cafe and some toilets. Once parked up it is a short trundle down a rocky path to the beach. If you arrive at high tide you may ask yourself why it is called Sandymouth as all you will see is a large cliffs, a steep pebble beach and jagged rocks sticking out of the sea. At low tide the beach opens up to just over a mile (I know because I have measured it!) of beautiful golden sand making too Bude’s largest beach! The beach is popular with National Trust members, dog owners (dog friendly all year round) and other beach goers. The waves are at Sandymouth are good for intermediate and advanced level surfers as the currents at Sandymouth Beach are stronger than most other beaches.
Keep up to date with beach lifeguard news and information from the Bude RNLI Lifeguards Instagram page. You will find useful information such as beach closures, tips for keeping safe on the beach and in the surf as well as the sort of training that the lifeguards take part in.
Featured images from @bude_rnli_lifeguards Instagram