When it comes to high-octane sports, riding the waves is enjoying a newfound popularity.
Consumer research firm Statista says 189,000 Britons went surfing in 2021, making it the UK’s biggest action sport.
And it’s big business, too, contributing more than £1 billion a year to the national economy thanks to devotees spending on surfboards, surf wear, accessories, accommodation and travel, and even keeping those trendy surfing bars and cafes busy.
Now it’s becoming a factor in the property market, with schemes such as The Beachside at one of the country’s leading surfing locations, Croyde Bay in North Devon.
Sweet life: Croyde Bay in North Devon. Inset, a couple run towards the waves
The complex — built as a hotel in the 1890s — was transformed into apartments aimed at surfers in the 1990s.
Owner Mike Saltmarsh, who is retiring this year, says: ‘The access and views of one of the UK’s most iconic bays makes this property very special.’
For those with deep pockets, The Beachside is for sale at £17.5 million — with planning consent for expansion.
‘If you buy a cottage or apartment and want to let it to the surfing fraternity, there are some must-haves,’ says Michael Batter, a former estate agent setting up a service to find properties at coastal hotspots in the South of England.
‘Large storage space — enough for boards and plenty of kit — is essential, and ensure there are good clothes washing and drying spaces,’ he adds.
So if you’re ready to rip, where to buy? Here are six of the UK’s most popular surf locations…
Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset: Known as K-Bay to the surfer crowd, this busy area is part of the UNESCO-listed Jurassic Coast.
A Wild Seas Centre promotes family snorkelling, and there’s also a marine conservation zone and the South West Coast Path.
A drive to the west meets Weymouth (the average house price is £310,000) and to the east there’s Swanage (£441,500).
North Cornwall: There are plenty of surfing beaches here — Watergate Bay, Polzeath and Fistral are arguably the best-known, while Harlyn is closest to foodie-favourite Padstow.
Typical house prices vary hugely according to Zoopla, from £387,000 in Newquay, where almost all homes are a drive away from a beach, to more than £1 million in Polzeath, where many can see the sea from their front doors.
Gower PeninsuLa: House prices here average £366,000 says Zoopla, although hilltop properties overlooking the best surf beaches — Three Peaks, Langland Bay and Llangennith — will easily fetch three times this.
Much of the peninsula is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
North Yorkshire: Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Staithes are increasingly popular surfing hotspots, while Whitby and Scarborough are more beginner-friendly.
A typical home in Whitby costs about £270,000; Scarborough is cheaper at roughly £202,000. Saltburn comes in below £240,000.
North Devon: It’s less fashionable than Cornwall, but the Museum of British Surfing is here in Braunton while Croyde, Saunton Sands, Woolacombe and Westward Ho! have legendary status among surfers.
This year the area won World Surfing Reserve status. Waterfront properties often hit seven figures, but Braunton and Lynmouth are half that price, and Bideford averages at below £275,000, according to Zoopla.
Thurso, Caithness: The beach is close to the town but Thurso is closer to Norway than to London, so water temperatures are not for the faint-hearted.
You can get a three-bed semi for under £160,000.
