Europe’s Best Longboard Waves

Le Cote Des Basques, Biarritz

Le Cote Des Basques sits just to the south of the supremely chic Biarritz in South West France. As the tide drops back, the sandy stretch reveals a series of mellow peaks, with the northernmost offering shelter from wind and swell in the shadow of a neo-medieval castle called the Villa Belza.

“It’s a magical place with a really authentic vibe,” says local logger Zoe Grospiron. “Somewhere everyone meets up for a coffee and checks the waves, the kids play around and all the generations mix together and share stories.”

Heralded as the birthplace of European surfing, the spot has been attracting longboarders for as long as the term has existed. In 1991, it gave Joel Tudor what he credits as his big break. The following year it staged the first Longboarding World Championship and 20 years after that, one of the original Duct Tapes. Nowadays, if you gaze beyond the mass of bright surf school singlets, you can still find plenty of legends bobbing in the lineup.

Salinas, Asturias

Situated slap bang in the middle of Spain’s wonderfully wave-rich northern coastline, Salinas is perfectly angled to catch any swell wafting into the Bay of Biscay.

Stretching for over 2km, the shoreline is served by a long promenade, complete with a smattering of beachfront bars and restaurants. The sand banks shift around frequently, but a leisurely stroll along the front, with a little break for tapas and beer if the tide allows, will usually reveal something enticing.

“We’ve got a solid community, with several generations of loggers,” says young local style master Nico García, “and our spot is recognised around the world for its great waves and the Salinas International Surf Festival.” Taking place in the height of summer, the event brings together the country’s finest loggers for four days of music, fun and frolics. If you can’t make that, the best time to visit is early autumn, says Nico, when moderate-sized swells combine with warm water and frequent southerly winds.

Parlementia, Pays Basque

Backed by the distant peaks of the Pyrenees and headlands furnished with distinctive Basque architecture, the small fishing town of Guethery is home to a unique and bustling surf scene. The focal point is Parlementia, a deep water reef break that refracts swell into a long rumbling right and occasional left. It’s best known as a big wave spot, dominated by workday French hellmen on rhino chasers.

However, even when the waves are well overhead, you’ll find just as many longboarders out there, taking hairy drops, throwing down sweeping bottom turns and swingeing carves on the wide open walls that fade and reform as they roll across the reef. The rapidly shifting peaks, regular clean-up sets and long paddle-out mean if you want to take on the challenge, you’ve got to be willing to pay the piper.

Sennen Cove, Cornwall

While on first glance Sennen Cove might appear like just another Cornish beachie, the calibre of longboard talent it has produced over the last two decades would suggest there must be something special happening in the water down there. Alumni include multiple European Champ (and editor of our print magazine) Sam Bleakley, trad standouts Mike Lay and James Parry and most recently a new generation of top European women, including Lola Bleakley, Izzy Henshall and Sylvie Pud.

Situated on the westernmost tip of mainland Britain, the zone has always attracted characters who dance to their own tune – allowing a small longboard scene to flourish, even as most of the country turned its back on the practice in the early 80s.
This positioning also allows it to hoover up any swell going, making it one of the most consistent and dynamic breaks in the region. “Some years we’ve had perfect reeling lefts, and others it’s been a barrelling shorey or a duck pond,” explains Izzy, “which pushes you to ride a range of boards. The soft sand always keeps it interesting!”

Saunton Sands, Devon

Situated in the heart of North Devon’s World Surfing Reserve, the iconic Saunton Sands is home to the longest, most cruiser-friendly rollers this side of Waikiki. What the break lacks in ripability it more than makes up for in ease and consistency, beloved of everyone from complete beginners to kayakers, SUPers and salty old sea dogs alike. According to local standout Jack Unsworth, it’s the “best log wave in the country, no questions asked.”

“From mid-tide up, you’ll find many of the area’s best surfers at ‘The Cave’,” he explains, “a right-hander just next to the rocks which peels from a few hundred meters out back to the inside, where it reforms into a lovely a-frame, complete with a perfect opening noseride section.”

“If you can get your head around the ludicrous car park prices and queues,” he concludes, “then you’re in for a real treat!”

Capo Mannu, Oristano

Jutting out in the Mediterranean from Sardinia’s west coast is the idyllic Capo Mannu peninsula. A wild patchwork of limestone cliffs, quaint fishing villages and secluded beaches concealing some of the Med’s most popular breaks.

“The whole place is great for longboarding,” says multiple Italian champ Mattia Maiorca, “because in a small area, you can find several spots. Most of them are point breaks, some short, others very long, but there are also some beach breaks.”

The best log wave is a long right-hander which runs down a boulder point on the southern edge of the cape, offering shelter from the northwesterly gales and rides of up to 200m on good days.

“Elsewhere, there are a few locals-only spots,” continues Mattia “because when the swell comes people come from all around Sardinia and Italy, but mostly we’re nice to everyone!”

Ribeira D’Ihas, Ericeira

On the rare days that the whole point links up, Ribeira D’Ilhas offers Western Europe’s closest thing to a pumping Californian point break. An oasis for crusaders of cruise, the wave is flanked by some of the continent’s best slabs, including Cave and Coxos which sit just a few clicks north. On the same days they’re dishing out terrifying six-foot pits, Ribieria is serving up soft head-high runners. Accordingly, it’s surfable most days throughout the autumn and winter swell season and frequently classic. Unsurprisingly, it’s also extremely popular with surfers of all abilities, so expect plenty of time waiting patiently for your turn.

Lahinch, Co Clare

In the last decade, Lahinch has risen to rival Bundoran as Ireland’s most popular surf town, with a thriving local scene and an ever-growing stream of visitors bussing in from far and wide. While the main beach works fairly consistently throughout the surf season, it takes a solid groundswell to get the rest of the bay’s half-a-dozen setups really firing. But when one rolls in, it’s well worth the wait, with options galore for surfers of every taste and ability. Longboarders tend to favour the innermost point at the southern end of the beach, known as Lahinch Left, which offers long, beautifully paced walls over a mix of sand and rock. When it’s good, a single ride provides scope for every manoeuvre the mind can imagine, or if you prefer, you can just trim and take in the view.

The Severn Bore, Gloucestershire

When it comes to length of ride, community camaraderie and pure novelty stoke, few Euro breaks rival the Severn Bore. This wave is created when a big spring tide is squeezed through the narrow gap between Bristol and Wales, resulting in a 22-mile-long roller that breaks and reforms as it moves upriver.

While catching the wave is relatively easy for the seasoned surfer, you can’t just rock up and hope to snag one of the multi-mile rides that’s made the Bore world famous. Like anywhere, to truly master being in the right place at the right time takes a lifetime of study. The textbook includes many chapters familiar to ocean surfers, like tide and wind and others less so, like water level, estuarine bathymetry and big branch dodging.

While even experienced Bore surfers seldom luck into a section that rivals a good day on the coast, if you’ve ever dreamt of doing 100 consecutive cutbacks while riding shoulder-to-shoulder with your pals as the English countryside rushes by, this could well be the Euro longboard wave for you.