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Croyde
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Croyde is a village on the west-facing coastline of North Devon. The village lies on the South West Coast Path near to Baggy Point, which is owned by the National Trust. It lies within the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Croyde Stream runs through the village. The rough centre of the village is at the intersection of Hobbes' Hill, Jones' Hill, and St. Mary's Road. At this spot, Croyde Bridge carries the roadway over the stream.
Public services are provided by the North Devon District Council (NDDC) based in Barnstaple.
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Encyclopedia
Croyde is a village on the west-facing coastline of North Devon. The village lies on the South West Coast Path near to Baggy Point, which is owned by the National Trust. It lies within the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Croyde Stream runs through the village. The rough centre of the village is at the intersection of Hobbes' Hill, Jones' Hill, and St. Mary's Road. At this spot, Croyde Bridge carries the roadway over the stream.
Public services are provided by the North Devon District Council (NDDC) based in Barnstaple. The village is in the Parish of Georgeham, which is within the Diocese of Exeter.
Today
The village has several small campsites, a small retail area and a large holiday park, Ruda Holiday Park, operated by Parkdean Holidays.
The past 30 years has seen large increases in younger-age visitors develop around surfing. The impact of tourism on the village has been varied. Some local landowners have benefited from the increased property prices. Tourism has helped to create jobs that were lost in agriculture. Local farming has declined, with former farmland converted into caravan sites and fields for seasonal camping. Like many seaside villages, the phenomenon of second homes has pushed house prices beyond the reach of most local people. There is little year-round employment, because tourism is seasonal, and most businesses are closed out of season.
There are three pubs in the village: The Manor, Billy Budds, and The Thatched Barn Inn.
Transport
The nearest railway station is in Barnstaple and is 16.5 km away. On Mondays-Saturdays, there is an hourly bus service to Croyde from Barnstaple, with a two-hourly frequency on Sundays.
Road transport from the M5 motorway (75 km) is via the A361 trunk road.
The impact on road travel times of the Barnstaple Western Bypass, opening May 18, 2007, is uncertain.
Education
Croyde has no education resources in the village. Children have access to Georgeham Primary School; secondary education is provided by Braunton School and Community College.
The beach
Croyde boasts European Blue Flag status, the highest award available for water/sand quality and safety.
There were several drownings at the beach in the 1950s which caused the local authority to provide lifeguards at the beach .
The sandy 800m beach at Croyde stands in a sheltered bay. Very strong rips can form at any stage of the tide, but especially at low tide even when there is only a small swell. These rips can pull even the strongest of swimmers against their will. Any bathing should be done within the lifeguard patrolled area. Another danger present in the water at Croyde is the large number of inexperienced surfers, the break is very compact at low tide resulting in many injuries. Saunton, Woolacombe and Putsborough beaches are far safer and often less crowded. 'Down End is the headland at the south end of Croyde Bay, the larger ridge to the north is Baggy Point.
A large dune system has formed past the high tide mark. Sand underlies the land surface between the beach and the centre of Croyde village, 600 m to the east. The beach forms the middle section of a trio of sandy beaches north of the Taw estuary. 6 km long Saunton Sands is 1 km to the south, 3km long Woolacombe Sands, divided into Putsborough and Woolacombe beaches, 1.5 km to the north.
Croyde is used for surfing; the rides are generally short. The waves tend to pitch up and break fast making it attractive to shortboarders. There is a point break off Down End. There is a reef break at the northern (Baggy Point) end of the beach that works for about 60 minutes during some high tides. Putsborough, Saunton or Woolacombe may give longer rides and these much larger beaches are less crowded during the summer months.
The shape of the bay funnels waves towards the beach. The beach is also steeper than either Woolacombe, Putsborough or Saunton Sands. Due to this, rip currents are extremely strong especially near the rocks at either end of the beach. The steepness of the beach can make for powerful "dumping" waves, strong rips and fast changing conditions. The nature of the break changes as the tide changes, generally at low tide with a big swell. This is a fast beach break with short, fast rides. At high tide the break is less aggressive, and the rides are slightly longer, but they have a tendency to close out at high tide.
There is a break some 3/4 mile offshore that breaks when the beach of Croyde is closed out by large swells. This break is reputed to be the Mavericks of North Devon. Tim Heyland, the founder of Tiki Surfshop tamed this break in the 1970s. The break is called Oyster Falls.
Croyde is similar to Gower's Langland Bay in that, at low tide, they both have fast, hollow A-frame waves. This type of wave is steep and cylindrical, usually caused by a combination of a heavy swell and an offshore (east) wind.
See Also
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