RECREATIONAL HIGHS – GO THERE CORNWALL

Of all the English counties, Cornwall has the longest coastline (depending on who you ask) and everyone is within a 30 minute drive to a beach. People sometimes joke about the shady underground dogging scene but it’s actually quite vibrant and public. More relevant (depending on who you ask) is the upwelling of recreational / flat water sup clubs throughout the county allowing walk-ins to paddle into some very beautiful situations. So if
you find yourself on the wrong end of a shonky forecast or are in need of injecting a little water time into a family holiday, try one of these Shangri-Las…

Photos Loz Smith, Luke Bolsin & Susie Bailey

Mevagissey, the secret coast
Not many surfers venture down this way and it can feel as if you’re driving to the other side of the earth, and for those reasons you’ll find new discoveries around every corner…maybe one or two of them might come in handy when a south swell kicks in? Sshh! Say no more. For a flatwater paddle that’s sheltered in a SW or W, the harbour at Mevagissey is a great place to start. Turning left out of the harbour takes you to Polstreath Beach – instant seclusion backed by steep green cliffs. In summer, expect the water to turn turquoise under your board for the sea is gin clear and the sand is quite white here. You could follow on round to Pentewan and grab a refreshment at the Ship Inn before turning back, or get your head down and make the hell SW downwinder across St. Austell Bay, coming to rest at Fowey. Heading south out of Mevagissey harbour takes you towards the highest headland on the south Cornwall coast – Dodman Point. At 114m it towers above the deep green seas and hosts the remains of an Iron Age promontory fort. This is a hardcore paddle, but if you make it around the Point you’ll see a castle behind a beach and with the right swell and right wind you can…sshh! I shall say no more. Local sisters Susie and Lisa Bailey run WasSup club on the main quayside next to Fatface at Mevagissey harbour, give them a holler for local advice (wassupCornwall@gmail.com or call 01726 844111) or join them on one of their club outings if you don’t have your kit with you.

Roseland Peninsula, the jet set coast
It’s very moneyed down at Roseland and they’ve almost managed to annex it but for the pesky A3078 and King Harry Ferry. The area is also embarrassingly rich in waterways with the Carrick Roads running up to Truro on one side, the English Channel on the other side and St. Mawes River going straight up the middle of it. Expect an enchanting maze of creeks, trees lining steep banks, palatial homes with sea glimpses over sloping striped lawns, and beautiful people sunbathing on even more beautiful boats. It’s like Swallows and Amazons crossed with slightly raunchier version of OK! Magazine. The creeks are great for kids to explore and the tidal run up to Truro and back will keep endurance paddlers from getting twitchy. With its narrow creeks and multi-faceted options, Roseland offers smooth paddling in pretty much any weather. Speak to Luke Bolsin at Get on Board getonboardsup.co.uk as he runs club nights and dawn sessions for regulars and drop ins, and has a fleet of big inflatos plus race and touring boards too.

Marazion, the historical coast
This stretch of coast is familiar to many of us as a regular and very good windsurfing and kitesurfing destination. When a good sup wave rolls in, that’s when the locals affectionately refer to Marazion as Danger Bay. The big drawcard at Mazza is the circumnavigation of St. Michael’s Mount; it’s quite hypnotic paddling out through the crystal water with the causeway shimmering ten feet below you.  The Mount itself is fascinating, flint tools have been found there dating as far back as 8000BC, and the Greek geographer Pytheas is said to have visited in the 4th century BC, making it one of the earliest identified locations in Western Europe.  Expect a giddying feeling as you make your way around the base, hugging the rocks, gazing upwards while the gentle swells lift and lower your board. If you fancy it a bit harder and faster, try running a downwinder in a westerly across Mount’s Bay – logistically it’s probably the best place in Cornwall for it. Loz at Ocean High holds regular club nights at Marazion and is even starting a regular SUP polo night too; he has oodles of boards and paddles if you can’t bring your own. Reach out to Loz at www.oceanhigh.co.uk 

“  Expect a giddying feeling as you make your way around the Mount, hugging the rocks, gazing upwards while the gentle swells lift and lower your board  ”

Crantock, the coast of dreams
That’s according to the defunct Newquay tourist board signage but those who’ve been may well regard Crantock as the stuff daydreams are made of. Staking a good claim as the most versatile sup location on the north coast, the golden sand beach offers everything from leg aching high tide walls to leg breaking low tide barrels with peaks popping up everywhere in between. Follow the narrow river inland and you enter the famous Gannel playground: acres of water so clear that you can still see horses hoof prints in the soft sand twelve feet below you. Tides are everything in the Gannel and you can just cruise in and out with the flow, or beast yourself in the current and practise your drafting skills by holding station in the lee of a buoy or anchored boat. On a spring high a good challenge is to follow the river as far upstream as you can, way past the osmosis zone, and see if you dare coffin ride it under the road bridge (we don’t advise it). Point to point paddle opportunities are immense around here, paddle on the deep blue ocean swells to Fistral and then onto the Newquay Bay and Watergate beyond if you’ve got the stamina or a lift back. Expect to see loads of seals, some dolphins and maybe a basking shark.  The Crantock Bay SUP Club are running a series of evenings at the Gannel and Fistral, kit provided, so speak to Rob Small and Dom Moore at www.facebook.com/crantockbaysupclub. 

Falmouth, the academician coast
We would have called it the student coast but that’s a bit off putting. It shouldn’t be though, as The Falmouth School of Art gives a real blaze of colour and good natured fun to the town; try an evening at Beerwolf and tell us you aren’t a believer. The grandest, largest port in the whole of Cornwall, Falmouth shores up the south end of the Western Approaches and is dripping with more tales of piracy, skulduggery and debauchery than King’s Landing itself. Falmouth offers everything to supists; miles and miles of creeks, big open windy water, waves in places, sight-seeing around the port, posh drinks over the water in Flushing, and plenty of eye candy for all. You really shouldn’t leave Cornwall without paying Fally a visit though many people let it pass them by. Sean White’s WeSUP club is the longest running and largest sup club in Cornwall and there you can join onto one of his club outings which cover racing, exploration sup and even tanker tagging in the Falmouth Bay…Based on Gyllyngvase Beach, Sean’s right in the middle of the entrance to the Carrick Roads and the passage to the Helford River, there’s always something going on. Find him at www.wesup.co.uk. SUP