Bude Sea Pool
A semi-natural tidal pool built into the rocks below the cliffs at Summerleaze in 1930, about 90m long and refilled by the sea twice a day. It is free, needs no booking and is swum year-round by a loyal local crowd, with water from around 11°C in April to 18°C by late summer. Swim at low tide and never dive in: shifting sand and stones change the depth.
Photo: Bob Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0
Latest reading · SwimScore 74/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 14°C, wind 10 km/h, waves 1.6 m, UV 0. Updated .
Know before you go
- Best conditions
- The charity recommends always swimming at low tide.
- Getting in
- Free for everyone, with no booking; donations to the Friends of Bude Sea Pool charity are encouraged. Reached by steep steps from the clifftop or, at low tide, across Summerleaze beach; there is no step-free access to the pool itself. No swimming at night unless part of an organised group.
- Parking & transport
- Summerleaze Beach car park (Cornwall Council pay and display) is about five minutes' walk over the Downs; Crooklets car park is another option. Buses stop at 'Bude, The Strand' by the Summerleaze car park entrance.
- Lifeguards
- RNLI lifeguards patrol the adjoining Summerleaze Beach in 2026 over Easter (3–19 April), daily 2 May–27 September and through much of October, 10am–6pm; Wikipedia notes the pool itself is only lifeguarded in high season.
- Water quality
- Refreshed by the tide rather than pumps. The surrounding Summerleaze bathing water was rated Excellent by the Environment Agency in 2024 and 2025.
- Season
- Open all year; usually drained for about two weeks of cleaning and maintenance in April or May.
- Who swims here
- Kept free and maintained by the volunteer charity Friends of Bude Sea Pool; the RNLI and Bude Surf Life Saving Club use it for training and exams.
- Watch for
- Cold water outside summer (about 11°C in April)
- Variable depth from sand and stones washed in; no diving
- Pool hidden at high tide, with rocks in the pool
- Slippery shallow shelving
- Facilities
- Community hub and pool staff office · Drinking-water tap · Toilets at Summerleaze and Crooklets car parks (Changing Places toilet at Summerleaze), none at the pool · Beach huts for hire
Sources: budeseapool.org, budeseapool.org, budeseapool.org, budeseapool.org, budeseapool.org, en.wikipedia.org, visitcornwall.com, rnli.org, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
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Details
- Location
- Bude, England, United Kingdom
- Type
- ocean
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Coordinates
- 50.8326, -4.5541