Although stand up paddleboarding, SUP, has only been around for a few years, it almost seems that the area around the Cornish town of Bude has been preparing for the arrival of this watersport for a long time. For millennia in fact, the forces of nature have created a beautiful coastline here, where wide expanses of golden sands lie beneath dramatic cliffs of volcanic rock. Rivers teeming with life run through green valleys. And more recently, a canal was built to connect a series of inland lakes to the ocean. All of these waterways and more make for fantastic paddleboarding, including some unique SUP experiences that you won't find elsewhere.

What exactly is paddleboarding? We’ll forgive you if this question comes to mind, because it’s an activity that’s not as well established around the British Isles as other watersports, like kayaking or that Cornish favourite - surfing. It’s related to surfing because it also uses a board, but the paddleboard is big and buoyant enough to easily stand up on. And as you don’t have to rely on waves to move through the water - instead, you use a long paddle and, with a series of long strokes from a standing position, propel yourself across the surface. Ocean, pools, rivers and canals, paddleboarding can take you on all kinds of adventures, and you’ll find all of these in the charming seaside resort of Bude.

Where are the best places to go paddleboarding in Bude?

• Summerleaze Beach: Let’s start with the beach. If you fancy launching a paddleboard onto the ocean and letting the sea breeze caress your face as you glide over the waves, you just need to take a couple of steps from Bude town centre to get to Summerleaze Beach. The sea is a pleasure to paddleboard on, but the real highlight of this place might come as something of a surprise.

• Bude Sea Pool: At the foot of the cliffs around Summerleaze Beach, a natural tidal pool that was enhanced in the 1930s to hold more water is one of the town’s top attractions. With an area of 3,500 square metres, this pool is perfect for swimmers, sunbathers and, now, paddleboarders. The high tide fills the pool with new water twice a day, but apart from these moments, the water is calm, so you can take your time to gain confidence on the SUP with the added bonus of views of the cliffs, across the sands, and out to sea.

• Bude Canal: Built in the nineteenth century to carry sea sand inland to be used as fertiliser, this relic of the industrial revolution is now a fantastic spot for paddleboarding. In fact, it’s the only canal in Cornwall, and so it offers a unique opportunity to travel through the idyllic landscape without worrying about tide, currents or waves.

• River Stat: The Bude Canal was built to follow the course of the River Stat, also known as the River Neet, as it passes through Bude to the sea. The clean waters of the river are home to populations of trout and eels. If you don’t like the idea of brushing against one when swimming here, it’s best to travel by SUP on the water’s surface.

• Widemouth Bay: A short distance to the south, Widemouth Bay is, as its name suggests, a huge expanse of sand. It faces west, and receives a steady stream of waves that are great for surfers. It can get pretty crowded here on sunny summer days, so if you want to take a break from the crowds, we recommend paddling away from the beach, past the surfers in the breakers, and onto the open sea.

What are the options for organising an excursion?

There are a couple of standard alternatives when it comes to enjoying paddleboarding in Bude and around the country. The explosion of popularity that this sport has been enjoying in recent years has led to the establishment of numerous SUP schools, or the adaptation of surf schools to cater to SUP enthusiasts, in the town. With them, you can take your first steps onto a paddleboard, and first paddles across the water, during a SUP lesson. These usually last between 1 and 2 hours, and will see you going from nervous novice to upright adventurer in no time.

For experienced paddleboarders, there are also rental services in Bude, where you can pick up the equipment and start exploring the area. Boards and paddles can be rented for a couple of hours, or a “Cornish 24 hours” which gets you the board from the moment of collection to 5pm the next day.

So what makes the SUP scene in Bude so special? A couple of things. One of them is SUP yoga sessions, where you learn how to carry out stretches and positions on a floating yoga mat. But the really original experience is a sunset paddle on the Bude Sea Pool, or a night time session on the pool on boards that light up underneath. It’s like surfing on a bioluminescent lake in the peace and tranquillity of a summer night, with stars above and a cool glow below.

Requirements to do this activity

Paddleboarding is such an easy activity to get into that it seems more people than not have had a SUP adventure nowadays. The accessibility is down to a couple of things: availability, affordability and simplicity. Using the equipment is pretty intuitive, which means that even people with no experience of watersports can get involved. It’s also great for kids, who’ll love the opportunity to explore the oceans and inland waterways. The only limit on their participation is the size of the equipment available, because a full size board is too wide for a child to paddle effectively, and the paddles, or though most can be adjusted, can be too long for little arms. That means some of the alternatives in Bude are only suitable for those over 10 years old, while there are other experiences where children as young as 8 years old can take part.

One more thing - this adventure is so popular that it’s worth booking in advance. We’re waiting for you!