Widemouth Bay


If you're travelling with kids, the best idea for a sunny day is to head to Widemouth (pronounced wid-muth). It has acres of sand at low tide, plenty of facilities, good safe swimming and lifeguarding throughout summer. Though it looks like one long continuous stretch at low tide, it’s officially two beaches (North and South) divided by the spiny spur of Black Rock. It's about 3 miles south of town.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Bude Castle

2.53 MILES

Housed in a peculiar folly behind Summerleaze beach, Bude Castle was built by local inventor Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, whose creations included theatrical…

2. Summerleaze

2.63 MILES

Bude's main family beach is a classic bucket-and-spade affair, with its proximity to town ensuring it's awash with windbreaks in summer. It's also home to…

3. Bude Sea Pool

2.74 MILES

Built in the 1930s, this handsome seawater pool sits behind Summerleaze beach to provide a safe place for sea swimming, without the danger of tides or…

4. Crooklets

2.97 MILES

Slightly to the north of the town centre, this is a busy town beach backed by a huge car park. It's popular with families, beach bums and surfers alike,…

5. Crackington Haven

4.9 MILES

Probably the most dramatic of Bude's beaches, it has rock shelves and pebbly sand bordered by black cliffs, speckled by a blaze of wildflowers in spring…

6. Strangles

6.11 MILES

Precious few people make the effort to seek out this remote cove, and to be fair, it's a bit rocky and pebble-strewn, not to mention quite a trek down…

7. Museum of Witchcraft & Magic

9.29 MILES

This oddball museum has been a fixture in Boscastle since 1960, and apparently houses the world's largest collection of witchy memorabilia, from haunted…

8. Tamar Otter Wildlife Centre

9.8 MILES

Generally, you'll need the skills of Ray Mears to spot otters in the wild, but this wildlife centre 5 miles outside Launceston guarantees a sighting…