You can walk to the surf from here
Most people booking a surf trip to Cornwall spend the week thinking about parking. Where to leave the car, whether the beach car park fills by ten, how long you can stay before it costs you again.
We are fifteen minutes from Perranporth beach on foot. The path runs from our gate down the Saints Trail and into town, so the board goes under your arm and the car stays where you left it on Friday night.
Alternatively, we also work with surf schools located nearby in Newquay and St. Agnes.
Why Perranporth suits a surf trip
Three miles of beach, which is the useful bit. On a busy August Saturday you can still walk far enough along the sand to find space, and there is enough of it that beginners are not sharing a peak with everyone else in the water.
It picks up Atlantic swell for most of the year, and the beach is wide and forgiving rather than sharp and technical. That combination is why the surf schools teach here and why it works whether it is your first time on a board or your fiftieth.
The bit people forget until they are cold
Getting in the water is easy. What ruins a surf trip is the hour afterwards.
Both shepherd huts have their own private shower and toilet, so you are not queueing in a block with a towel round you. Chirps, the safari tent, uses the shower block a short walk away. Every unit has its own outdoor space and a fire pit, which is where most people end up once the sun goes and everything aches.
There is somewhere to hang a wetsuit, somewhere to sit, and a pub two hundred metres down the lane when nobody can face cooking.
Lessons, and who takes them
We are not a surf school, so lessons run through Stoked Surf School on Beach Road, right on the beach and the shortest walk from us.
Here is the part worth knowing. Tristan coaches there. So when a lesson is booked through us, there is a fair chance the person running the site is also the one standing next to you in the shallows telling you to paddle harder.
One guest summed it up better than we could. Tristan helped him catch his first wave, and he ended up scrapping his onward plans and staying another night.
Stoked will sort the board and the wetsuit, and more usefully will know where to put you depending on what the sea is doing that morning. That local read is worth more than any amount of watching the forecast yourself. Further up the coast, NQY Surf School covers the Newquay beaches if you fancy a change of scene for a day.
If the surf is flat
It happens. The Saints Trail runs straight past us, so there is a flat, traffic-free walk or ride in either direction, Perranporth one way and Goonhavern the other. The fishing lake sits fifty metres across the road. There are green lanes and the Trans Euro Trail from the gate if you have brought a bike.
A flat day here is not a wasted one.
FAQs about Surf Glamping in Cornwall
How far is Perranporth beach from Woods 2 Waves?
About fifteen minutes on foot, along the Saints Trail. You do not need to drive.
Do you offer surf lessons?
We are a glamping site rather than a surf school, so lessons run through Stoked Surf School on Beach Road in Perranporth, about fifteen minutes from us on foot. Tristan coaches there, so lessons booked through us are often taken by him.
Is Perranporth good for beginners?
It is a wide, sandy, forgiving beach that picks up Atlantic swell for most of the year, which is why the surf schools teach there. Any school will place you according to the conditions on the day.
Is there anywhere to shower after surfing?
Both shepherd huts have a private shower and toilet. Chirps uses the shower and toilet block a short walk from the tent.
Is parking free?
Yes, parking on site is free, and entry is by security code. Most guests find they do not need the car for the beach anyway.
