ABOUT WOOLACOMBE BEACH
NORTH DEVON'S AWARD-WINNING THREE-MILE SURF BEACH
THE BEACH
Woolacombe Beach is a three-mile stretch of golden sand on the North Devon coast, situated between the headlands of Morte Point to the north and Baggy Point to the south. Part of the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is regularly voted one of the best beaches in the UK and Europe.
The beach faces west-northwest into the Atlantic Ocean, receiving consistent surf from Atlantic swells. This westerly exposure, combined with the sandy bottom and gradual gradient, makes Woolacombe one of the most popular surfing destinations in England and an ideal place for families to enjoy the seaside.
ABOUT WOOLACOMBE.NET
Woolacombe.net is a free, real-time beach conditions dashboard providing live surf reports, tide times and weather forecasts for Woolacombe Beach. Our data is updated every 10 minutes using official sources including the Met Office via Open-Meteo and ADMIRALTY UK tidal predictions.
We built this site because we wanted a fast, reliable and ad-light way to check conditions before heading to the beach. No app downloads, no account sign-ups — just open the page and see what's happening right now.
LIVE DATA
Wave height, swell period, wind speed, temperature, UV index and rain probability updated every 10 minutes from official meteorological sources.
TIDE TIMES
Accurate high and low tide predictions from the ADMIRALTY tidal station at Ilfracombe (Station 0535), the nearest primary station to Woolacombe Beach.
SURF RATING
Our 1-5 quality rating combines swell height, period, wind direction and speed to give you a quick snapshot of current surfing conditions at Woolacombe.
24-HOUR FORECAST
Hourly forecast showing temperature, wave height, swell, wind and rain so you can plan the best time to visit the beach today or tomorrow.
DATA SOURCES
Woolacombe.net uses the following data providers:
- Weather data: Open-Meteo Forecast API — temperature, wind, rain, UV, sunrise and sunset times
- Marine data: Open-Meteo Marine API — wave height, swell height, swell period, swell direction, water temperature
- Tidal data: ADMIRALTY UK Tidal API (Discovery) — high and low tide times and heights from Ilfracombe station (0535)
Data is fetched by a Cloudflare Worker running on a 10-minute cron schedule and cached for fast delivery. The coordinates used are latitude 51.1778, longitude -4.2097 (Woolacombe Beach).
GETTING TO WOOLACOMBE
Woolacombe is located on the North Devon coast, approximately 4 miles west of Ilfracombe and 13 miles west of Barnstaple. The nearest train station is Barnstaple (on the Tarka Line from Exeter), from where buses run to Woolacombe during summer months.
By car, follow the A361 to Barnstaple, then the A3123 through Mullacott Cross to Woolacombe. Postcode for sat nav: EX34 7BG (main beach car park).
NEARBY BEACHES
The North Devon coast has many excellent beaches within easy reach of Woolacombe:
- Putsborough: The sheltered southern end of Woolacombe Beach. Quieter, good for families.
- Croyde: 3 miles south. A world-class beach break popular with experienced surfers.
- Saunton: 5 miles south. Three miles of sand, great for longboarding and kitesurfing.
- Barricane Beach: A small sheltered cove just north of Woolacombe village, famous for tropical shells.
- Combesgate Beach: A quiet sandy cove between Woolacombe and Mortehoe.