Surf’s worth the extra miles

Dec 13 2009 by Katy Simpson, Sunday Sun

IT is tucked away in the furthest corner of the country, and is almost a seven-hour drive away. KATY SIMPSON finds out whether a trip to North Devon is worth the journey.

WHO needs to travel the length of Britain for a beach holiday when they live on the North East coast?

With some of the country’s most stunning beaches on our doorstep, it seems madness to drive almost 400 miles to Devon for a seaside get-away.

But as we strapped our surfboards to the roof rack, my husband and I didn’t care about the journey as we thought of the waves awaiting us.

And we were far from disappointed.

Tired, aching, and having eaten too many sweets, we arrived at the small town of Braunton shortly before sunset.

We were staying in self-catered accommodation in a modern two-bedroom apartment, attached to the home of jolly Julie Jarvis and her warm and welcoming family.

Julie’s teenage son Tom set the tone of our stay by greeting us with scones and a tub of Devon’s famous clotted cream, and made us feel that this was definitely a home from home.

But we were itching to head off to the beach to explore before it got too dark and decided the scones could wait.

Braunton is a five-minute drive from the surfing hotspots of Saunton, Croyde and Woolacombe, and every other vehicle on the winding country roads seemed to be a camper van or a car stacked high with surfboards.

We could not believe our eyes as we rounded a corner and the breathtaking view of Saunton Sands burst into sight.

With a movie-like backdrop of Braunton Burrows – the UK’s largest sand dune network – the deserted golden beach stretched on for as far as the eye could see.

Although it was already dusk, there were still surfers in the water making the most of the last light, and enjoying perfect sets of small but beautifully peeling, clean waves.

From the vantage point of the road running along the headland, looking down at the huge bay, you felt the enormity of the Atlantic rolling towards you.

And it was not just this great ocean swell that we had come for, it was the sense of space that beyond the horizon lies nothing but America.

In fact, everything about the coastline felt foreign compared to the ruggedness of the North Sea.

The green-blue water off the North Devon coast mirrored the soft, rolling green cliffs.

And the palm tree-like plants, and the comparatively warm water reinforced the feeling of being abroad. We couldn’t wait to get in the water the next day. Back in the flat, we found we had packed far too much – Julie had thought of everything you could possibly need, down to an airer for drying clothes, cling film for making packed lunches and even a pint of milk in the fridge for the first night.