to do

The Area

Venn Farm is nestled between two nature reserves and has an abundance of wildlife. This rural retreat is just a 10-minute drive to Bude and some of the country’s best beaches. Summerleaze beach has to be one of our favourites because of the iconic natural sea pool there. Other favourites include Northcott Mouth, Sandymouth Beach and Duckpool.

This is a great place for everything outdoors, walking, cycling, kayaking, trekking, coasteering, and of course surfing. There are ancient churches, characterful old pubs & exceptional new restaurants.

Places to eat

Bude and the surrounding areas offer a wide range of fantastic places to eat for any budget. Here are our favourites;

electricbakery – brilliant local bakery for breakfast or lunch. Fantastic bread and pastries to take away plus, daily specials. Bude.

thecrustpizza – Wonderful handcrafted pizzas – eat in or take out. Bude.

coombesheadfarm – Set in 66 acres Coombeshead is a culinary retreat, with a shop and courtyard cafe. Fine dining in the restaurant in the evenings. Lewannick, Launceston.

coombebarton – Great pub food and stunning location overlooking Crackington Haven beach.

therocketstore – Incredible small plates. Small seafood bar/restaurant serving local produce in Boscastle harbour.

Pizza at Neetfield – A half-acre market garden which makes delicious pizza at the weekends. BYO; Bude.

thegoodstuffcafe – great cafe in Boscastle for breakfast and lunch.

templecornwall – seasonal produce with a focus on local suppliers. Great location with sunny outdoor terrace.

stkewinn – our favourite pub. Always excellent food and a superb beer garden.

thedeckbude – excellent for the family. Our kids favourite place to eat. Kebabs, steaks, fish and burgers. A great family run restaurant. Very friendly and fantastic sea view

woolsery – Good pub for absolutely brilliant Sunday lunch.

thebushinnmorwenstow – olde world pub with huge beer garden and views to the sea.

Things to do

Surfing

bigbluesurfschool – for surf lessons and hire we recommend The Big Blue Surf School.

Beaches

Bude’s dramatic coastline is home to many stunning beaches. The area is great for surfers and body boarders or all levels. Here’s a few of our favourites;

NORTHCOTT MOUTH – At low tide you can walk along the beach into Bude and explore hidden shipwrecks. Children will love exploring the fine sand, many rock pools and stream, which runs down through the beach. Owned by the National Trust, it offers a slightly more secluded alternative to the main beaches.

DUCKPOOL – Duckpool is a thrilling and romantic cove. Flanked by Steeple Point Cliff it’s a distinctly wild setting. Duckpool hosts a retro ice cream van in the summer.

SUMMERLEAZE – Summerleaze Beach is Bude’s main town beach. Great for families it’s spotless, safe and sandy. Summerleaze Beach is a big hit with surfers, and families alike. The Natural Sea Pool is great for young children to have a paddle, or for more serious swimmers to get some lengths in. You can also hire beach huts for the day at Summerleaze from the Bude Tourist Information Centre.

TREBARWITH STRAND – Pretty cove with clear waters.

SANDYMOUTH – A National Trust owned beach that starts with a dramatic cliff top view from the car park. It’s a wonderful beach, and one of our favourites – with a vast expanse of sand at low tide. It also has a good café.

CRACKINGTON HAVEN – Crackington Haven is a spectacular scenic area. The beach at high tide is mainly pebbles, but a good area of sand is exposed at low tide. Crackington lies within the Heritage Coast area.

WELCOMBE MOUTH – Welcombe Mouth is a very secluded and quiet beach just over the border in Devon. When the tide is low it reveals a small beach of golden sand with many rock pools to be found along the fore shore. There’s a lovely waterfall here. You can marvel at the rock formations. Close by is the super Welcombe pottery, and near that is the Smithy Inn, which is great for a Sunday lunch.

PORT ISAAC – Port Isaac is a beautiful and romantic fishing cove. Famed by the Fisherman Friends singers and Doc Martin. The place has a magical, enchanted feel to it. At low tide there is a walkway along the beach to the jetty. This is great to go crabbing from.

Activities

northdevonwakepark – you can try wakeboarding, but they also have a fantastic Aqua Park there.

thebigsheep – A great family day out.

themilkyway – The Milky Way Adventure Park. It’s designed to be fun for parents as well as children.

coastal paths – Some of the best trail running in the country. Just head for the coastal path, or to the moors.

tarka trail– Over 30 miles of the Tarka Trail is available to cyclists between Braunton and Meeth, using the old railways of North Devon.

camel trail – One of the most popular cycle routes in the country, the Camel Trail runs from Padstow to Wenford Bridge. Eight miles of flat cycle path with stunning scenery – great for any ability.

archery – We highly recommend Dragon Archery. It’s a great family day out and would be fine for Dragon Archery is set in the heart of the Devon countryside in a picturesque setting.

sailing – Courses in sailing are available at Tamar Lakes.

golf – Bude Golf Club is an 18-hole links course in North Cornwall.