Pembrokeshire is one of the UK's top surfing locations, picking up similar swell to the famous beaches of Cornwall, and offering some of the cleanest water and most spectacular beaches in Europe. Being a peninsula there is almost always somewhere where the wind is offshore, and there are clean, uncrowded waves to be surfed. Whether you're new to the sport, looking for a gentle beach break to practice your skills, or a seasoned pro looking for heavy reef breaks and reeling points, Pembrokeshire has it all.

Newgale
Newgale is a beautiful, two-mile stretch of beach that provides some of the best surfing conditions for beginners in the whole of the UK. Its long, flat sand beach offers a perfect playground for a huge range of sports, and faces the perfect direction to pick up any swell the Atlantic has to offer. For this reason Newgale is the main beach that we use for teaching beginners all the way through to advanced surfers.

Conditions at Newgale are usually ideal for beginner surfers, with slow, mellow waves, perfect for learning all the basic skills you need to kick-start your surfing career. However, on its day, with a good swell and an offshore wind, Newgale is up there with the best spots in Pembrokeshire, and has been known to produce extremely long, hollow waves.

At high tide any swell is usually swallowed up as the water hits a steep pebble bank, which lines the top of the beach. However, with a big high tide and large swell, the waves can break over this bank, washing pebbles down onto the road below.

Newgale is surfable from low tide all the way through to around 1-2 hours before high tide. Then from 1-2 hours after high tide all the way through to low tide again.  Usually there are nice peaks at the north end of the beach, in front of the shop, and in the middle of the beach, in front of the car park as the tide drops back off the pebbles. Mid/Low tide produces different peaks up and down the length of the beach, depending on where different sandbanks are formed. With low tide normally producing the hollowest waves, and mid tide producing the longest rides.

The busiest parts of the beach are normally in front of the three main car parts. The Newsurf car park at the north end, the middle car parks, and the car park at the south end. So if you're after some quiet waves to yourself, a short walk up or down the beach is usually all it takes.

The waves at Newgale are generally bigger than at the other beaches along this stretch of coastline, such as Broad Haven and Whitesands. But, despite the beach facing the same direction, are never normally as big or powerful as Freshwater West in South Pembrokeshire, which is more suited for intermediate or advanced surfers, due to rocks and dangerous rip currents.

Newgale is patrolled by RNLI Lifeguards during the summer months and has been awarded a European Blue Flag, guaranteeing the cleanliness of the water. There are two cafes, one at either end of the beach. At the north end you will also find Newsurf Surf Shop, with free parking and a small picnic area, The Duke of Edinburgh Inn, a campsite and public toilets. There are also public toilets in the middle car park, situated by the main lifeguard station and a Caravan park a little further down towards the south beach.