Museum of British Surfing
The Yard Caen Street Braunton Devon EX33 1AA
Braunton's brand new surf museum couldn’t be in a more appropriate place: for many (at least those who don’t get as far as Cornwall), Croyde is the home of UK surfing: in the 1920s locals rode the breakers on wooden planks – known as coffin lids – and the surf beaches of of Saunton, Croyde, Putsborough and Woolacombe have been a hub for the fledgling UK surf industry since the late 1960s.
Most of the museum is devoted to an annual exploring the themes of British surf culture – past, present and future – kicking off with the ‘Art of Surfing’ to get the whole thing going. There are sketches of Hawaiian surfers drawn by sailors of Captain Cook’s expeditions, 1920s adverts of beaming belles on their boards as well as airbrushed surf art on early boards. There’s even a photo of south Devonian Agatha Christie with a board at Waikiki, where the author became one of the first Briton’s ever to master stand-up surfing. Worth visiting whether you're a battle-hardened surf dude or just a beginner looking for context and inspiration.
