Sometimes likened to the famous pointbreak ‘Raglan’ in New Zealand (and it can resemble it from time to time), Lynmouth is a surf spot in the South West of the UK popularised by it’s long left hand pointbreaks at low tide but actually is more diverse than for those that peak beyond its main draw and this is why I fell in love with it.

Nestled along the North Devon coastline, Lynmouth is a small harbour town with it’s sister town of Lynton towering above as it stares across the Bristol Channel to Worms Head on the Gower Peninsula coastline.

It is backed by the Exmoor National Park and these days enjoys the ebbs and flows of the modern tourist that have been hiking along the south west coast path or the National Parks.

Established to receive lime from South Wales that was used for agriculture fertiliser and then developed as a tourist destination in the Victorian era. Lynmouth was often nicknamed ‘ Little Switzerland’ (due to the houses perching on the cliffs front), the waves have been influenced by these activities with the remains of tidal swimming pools & paddle steamer pier that has fallen into disrepair, still poking out amongst the boulders as reminders from days gone by.

The Breaks ——

Looking down the impressive Countisbury Hill that rises some 200ft above sea level you’re rewarded with a stunning view across the breaks at Lynmouth

Two rivers East & West Lyn coming out past the harbour split two distinct left hand point breaks at low tide.

To the left the point break ‘Car Parks’ aptly named after the car park that wraps beneath the bluff to the top of this point break.

To the right, the point break of ‘Blacklands’, named after the Blacklands Beach at the base of this point because of the dark-coloured rocks and shingle which characterize this section of the coastline and historically associated with the adjacent Blacklands Wood.

These peaks both enjoy good shape for around 2 hours after low but only Blacklands will continue with good shape up to the mid tide mark as Car Parks usually starts running quite straight.

High tide then brings to life two further peaks either side of the river, neither a point break but both with touches of quality to them. Carparks transform into a split peak with the left being longer and more bowly. A right hander into the river, then comes alive and gives all the regular footers a chance to for some forehand fun.

Swell parameters ——

Most swell arrives from the west but the subtle nuances in direction changes naturally changing the mood and types of waves that are on offer.

In general terms the swell size on the west facing beaches of North Devon need to be solid either in period or height for Lynmouth to come to life.

This tends to be a winter affair with the shoulder seasons offering slightly less consistency but the odd mid summer storm can surprise all with a warm (er) water experience.

The more west in the swell, the less period is needed, the more south west in the swell the more size and period is required to swing into the points.

Aficionado’s have these nuisances down to a tee and will pounce on any sniff of combination that can deliver a shapely ride.

Wind preferences – – – –

You’d think that anything from South would deliver the goods I.e nice lined up walls but the reality is that unless the wind is lighter than a feather all bar Southerlies or with a touch of west in it will bring some devil ribs.

I actually think that a straight westerly (cross shore) is better than a South Easterly as at least the faces stay clean as the waves draw down the line.

Wind strength of course can change the mood of the wave but mainly it translates to those additional strokes needed to catch the waves that we all forget to do and pay the price of either going straight over the handle bars or getting blown out of position.

So there we have it, the next layer to my obsession with a surf break that I’ll continue in subsequent blogs where I drive deeper into each of the breaks on offer.