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Pick up a surfboard, wetsuit or bodyboard from the hire desk 50 metres from Westward Ho! beach, then walk straight onto two miles of sand. Staff help you choose kit that matches your size and whether you are paddling or bodyboarding. Hire starts at two hours, and you can add extra time if the waves are still working.
You check in at the centre, talk through what you want to do, and get fitted for a suit and a board or bodyboard. Trained staff would rather send you out on the right foam board than the one that looks fastest, especially if anyone in the group is new to the sea. Once you have the kit, you walk the short path to the sand and choose your own spot along the bay.
There is no instructor in the water on a hire, so you pick a peak that suits the group and keep an eye on the tide. Heated changing rooms, showers and secure storage are here when you come back, and you can add hours if you want longer than the first slot. Return kit on time so the next hire can go out, and treat the gear as if it were your own.
Westward Ho! is one of the kinder North Devon beaches for a first unguided paddle. The sand shelves gently, so waves often break more slowly and rips stay lighter than at steeper spots, and RNLI lifeguards are on duty through the summer.
The hire desk sits on Pebblebridge Road, about 50 metres from the sand, next to public parking. You change on site rather than in a car park, then walk down with the board already under your arm. A surf shop and a pizza cafe are in the same building if you want something after you rinse off.
You need to be able to swim at least 50 metres, have an average level of fitness, and know the basics of surf safety before you take kit onto the beach. Hire is unguided, so this is not a substitute for a lesson if nobody in the group has been in waves before.
If anyone is under 16, the adult who signs the hire form is responsible for their safety and for bringing the kit back. There is no set minimum age on the hire itself, but we will not send a child out without that adult in charge.
Hire sits in the same purpose-built centre that has taught on this beach since 1988, so the boards and suits are the ones we use for lessons, not a random stack on the prom. Staff who already coach here can tell you which peak is working and whether the tide is about to leave you on dry sand.
You get heated changing rooms, secure storage and a short walk to the water, which matters more than it sounds when you are carrying a board in a wind. Treat the kit carefully, bring it back on time, and you will get the same straightforward send-off the next time you want a couple of hours on this beach.
Collect kit at 1 Pebblebridge Road, Westward Ho!, EX39 1HN. Public parking is next to the centre, and the beach is a few steps from the door.
Come a little before your start time so we can fit a suit and talk through the beach. Summer parking fills quickly.
You can hire a surfboard, a wetsuit, a bodyboard, or a board and suit together. Boots, gloves and hoods are extras if the water is cold or you feel the wind on the walk back.
Staff will ask about height, experience and whether anyone is bodyboarding rather than standing. That conversation is worth having, because a board that is too small is no fun on a first unguided session, and a suit that leaks will cut the hire short.
Hires start at two hours, which is enough for a look at the beach and a few waves before you tire. Extra hours are available if the tide is still useful and you want longer in the water.
Start times run through the day from 10:00. If you want to add time once you are already out, get in touch through Adventuro chat so we can extend the slot rather than keeping the next booking waiting.
About 50 metres. You change at the centre, pick up the board, and walk straight onto Westward Ho! sand. You are not carrying hire kit from a shop in the village or changing in a car park.
Heated changing rooms, showers, toilets and secure storage are on site, with public parking beside the building. That short walk is the main reason people hire here rather than dragging a board from further back.
Yes. Public parking sits next to the centre on Pebblebridge Road, so you can unload and walk a few metres to the door. It is the same car park the lesson groups use.
On sunny weekends and in the school holidays those bays fill, so arrive with time to spare. If the nearest spaces have gone, use the wider village parking and walk down rather than circling until your slot has started.
Yes. Open group lessons and private lessons run from the same centre if you would rather have a coach in the water than go out on hire kit alone. Those are separate bookings, not part of the hire.
If nobody in the group has surfed before, a lesson is the safer first step. Hire suits people who already know how to pick a peak and get back on the board after a wipeout.
You are responsible for the kit during the hire. If a board, suit or extra is damaged, lost, or comes back late, a charge may apply so we can repair or replace it and keep the next hire on time.
Handle items with care, stay off rocks, and bring everything back to the desk rather than leaving it on the sand. If something already looks worn when you collect it, point it out before you leave so we can log it.
Children can use hire kit when an adult signs the form and stays responsible for safety and for bringing everything back. Anyone under 16 needs that adult in charge. We will not send a child out as if they were booking on their own.
The adult should be able to swim 50 metres and know basic surf safety as well, because hire is unguided. If the group is new to waves, book a lesson instead and hire another day.
You need to swim at least 50 metres and have an average level of fitness. You also need a basic grasp of surf safety: where to paddle, how to fall, and when to come in if the sea changes.
Westward Ho! is a fairly flat beach, which helps, but hire still puts you in the sea without an instructor. If that sounds like a stretch, take an open or private lesson first and come back for hire when you are happier picking your own peak.
Often yes, if the kit is not already promised to the next booking and the tide still makes sense. Extra hours cost less than the first two-hour block, which is why people extend rather than booking a second full hire.
Do not just keep the board past the return time. Contact Adventuro chat so we can add the hours on the booking. Late returns without that conversation can pick up a charge and delay the next group.
Bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and a drink. A dry layer for afterwards is useful when you come off the beach into the wind. We provide the board or bodyboard and the suit you have booked.
Leave valuables you do not need on the sand in the secure storage or in the car. If you want boots, gloves or a hood, add those when you book or ask at the desk before you walk down.
Really enjoyed it, thank you!
Lovely, friendly atmosphere which helps to gain confidence. Excellent teaching skills with Finn
The session was great my husband and children really enjoyed it and felt it was really well run with the right level of support for each of them. Thank you for an amazong morning during our holidays.
We had an amazing time with good instructors, and a beach that's really suitable for beginners. It's not too deep so you can stand up whilst also having waves that you can surf.
Everything we’d hoped for 😊
My 12 year old had such a wonderful time.
Operated by The North Devon Surf School, a partner of adventuro.
