A week in Croyde rarely follows a strict plan. Some days are spent bodyboarding at Croyde Beach, others walking to Baggy Point, exploring the village or simply watching the sunset beyond Lundy Island. This guide shares the activities our family actually enjoyed during a recent stay, along with a few we ran out of time for and hope to revisit next year.

We have been going to Croyde for nearly ten years. Both boys were six and nine when we first went. I’m sure entire armies could move quicker than we. Simple days. Wake up, go to the beach, hit the waves with our body boards, back home, shower and eat. With the small play park, and their ability to make friends we all got to enjoy the campsite – easy. 

The beauty of Croyde for us is its simplicity. Most days begin with a walk from Bay View Farm Campsite down to Croyde Beach. If the waves are good, the body boards come out. If they’re flat, we might head towards Baggy Point, explore Georgeham or spend an evening watching the sunset beyond Lundy Island.

As the boys got older, we were able to explore further and easier. Their little legs got longer and distances diminished. Some weeks were more wet weather, others had flat waves that encouraged exploring.

Every year we run out of time to do everything we want to, so it becomes a call to action to go again and maximise our time together.

Blink and those perfect weeks are interrupted by GCSEs. But, Croyde will always be on our annual holiday list.

Activities We Actually Did

Activity	Location	Best For	Our Experience
Bodyboarding	Croyde Beach	Families, teenagers	Usually the first thing we do after arriving. The boys spent hours in the water while I wondered if I’d ever warm up again.
Swimming	Croyde Beach	Everyone	Safest in the RNLI lifeguarded areas. People often head in for a quick dip as the sun begins to set
Sunset Watching	Croyde Beach	Everyone	One of the easiest activities and completely free
Walking to Baggy Point	Baggy Point	Walkers	Good views and an easy way to escape the beach crowds. Part of the South West Coast Path
Exploring the Village	Croyde Beach	Families	Useful for supplies, food and the inevitable forgotten item
Skim boarding	Croyde Beach	Teenagers	People often head in for a quick dip as the sun begins to set

Things We Didn’t Get Around To

The unusually hot weather made it difficult to drag ourselves away from the beach. When the surf is working and the evenings are warm, plans have a habit of changing.

Here are a selection of activities we have done before, and look forward to next time. A week always feels long when you’re planning it and surprisingly short when you’re packing up. 

These are the things we intended to do but never quite got around to.

We prioritise the waves when available. Otherwise we have the following in our back pocket.

Activity	Why We Missed It	Next Time?
Cold water swimming Fisherman’s Steps	Surf conditions and beach days won the argument	Yes
Surf Lessons	The waves were too tempting for bodyboarding	Yes
Coasteering	We’ve done it before and prioritised time in the water.	Probably
Walk to Woolacombe	The heat persuaded us to stay closer to the beach	Probably
Tarka Trail Cycle Ride	Beach weather was too good to leave	Probably
Evening walk to Georgeham*	Somehow the sunsets kept getting in the way.	Definitely
Braunton Burrows walk	Time disappeared. It always does.	Definitely

*There is a lovely pub there. Have a pint to help with the return journey.

So yes, we missed out on a number of things we’d planned to do. That’s usually the way with Croyde. Good waves, warm evenings and a beach within walking distance have a habit of reshaping the week’s agenda.

Which is probably why we keep coming back.

Best Things To Do in Croyde for Families

If I had one week in Croyde with a family, I’d keep it simple:

• Bodyboarding at Croyde Beach
• Walking to Baggy Point
• Watching at least one sunset from the beach
• Exploring Croyde Village
• Spending an evening outside the campervan watching the light fade over Lundy Island