Croyde
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Croyde is a village on the west-facing coastline of North Devon. It is rare but to some surfers the village is known as 'The Place of Legends' or 'The Place of Kings' due to the way that the village is almost perfect and so is the beach.
Public services are provided by the North Devon District Council (NDDC) based in Barnstaple. The village is in the Parish of Georgeham, which is within the Diocese of Exeter.
A stream runs through the village, Croyde Stream. The rough centre of the village is at the intersection of Hobbes' Hill, Jones' Hill, and St. Mary's Road, at this spot, Croyde Bridge carries the roadway over the stream.
Croyde Village Hall, built in 1952 is close to this point, about 30 meters along Jones' Hill from Croyde Bridge. There is a "Pay and Display" Car Park behind the Village Hall, built in 1975 that provides parking for the village. Croyde Village Hall has been used on and off as a cinema during summer months.
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[edit] Croyde past and present
The name Croyde is believed to be derived from an Anglo-Saxon settlement in the area named Cridda.
There is a Church of England chapel in the village, St Mary Magdalene, the Church was opened in July 1874 (according to an article in the North Devon Journal Herald on July 23, 1874). This church is located on St Mary's road. There is also a Baptist church further up St Mary's road on the road to Georgeham, named "Croyde Baptist Church" which serves Georgeham, Croyde and Kentisbury. The earliest reference to the Baptist Church in the North Devon Record Office is "Photographs of Croyde Baptist Chapel and ministers (1817-1933) - mounted in one large frame" which might indicate that the Chapel pre-exists the C of E church in the Village.
Croyde's development during the latter part of the 20th Century was based on traditional 'seaside' tourism; prior to this the local economy was based around agriculture. The past 30 years has seen large increases in younger-age visitors develop around surfing. It is home to several small campsites, a small retail area in the centre of the village, and a large holiday park, Ruda Holiday Park, operated by Parkdean Holidays. It is an excellent base for walking with the South West Coast Path giving access to the spectacular Baggy Point, which is owned by the National Trust. It lies within the North Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is protected for its stunning coastal and rural landscapes.
The village of Croyde has changed over the past 30 years. The impact of tourism on the village has been a mixed blessing, certainly local landowners have reaped the benefits of increased property prices, and tourism has helped to create jobs that were lost in agriculture and other local employment. Local farming has declined, with former farmland converted into caravan sites and fields for seasonal camping. Like many seaside villages, the phenomenon of second homes has pushed house prices beyond the reach of most local people. There is little year-round employment, because tourism is seasonal, and most businesses are closed out of season.
There are three pubs in the village: The Manor, Billy Budds", and The Thatched Barn Inn.
[edit] Transport
The nearest railway station is 16.5 km distant at Barnstaple.
On Mondays-Saturdays, there is an hourly bus service to Croyde from Barnstaple, with a two-hourly frequency on Sundays.
Road transport from the M5 motorway (75 km) is via the A361 trunk road.
The impact on road travel times of the Barnstaple Western Bypass, opening May 18, 2007, is uncertain.
[edit] Education
Croyde has no education resources in the village. Children have access to Georgeham Primary School for primary education, secondary education is provided by Braunton School and Community College.
[edit] The Beach
The sandy 800 m beach at Croyde stands in a sheltered bay and is the main reason that it is such a popular holiday destination. The shallow slope of the beach, the mean high and low water marks are 500m apart, makes it safer for children. Down End is the headland at the south end of Croyde Bay, the larger ridge to the north is Baggy Point. A large dune system has formed past the high tide mark. Sand underlies the land surface between the beach and the centre of Croyde village, 600 m to the east. The beach forms the middle section of a trio of sandy beaches north of the Taw estuary. 6 km long Saunton Sands is 1 km to the south, 3km long Woolacombe Sands, divided into Putsborough and Woolacombe beaches, 1.5 km to the north.
[edit] Surfing
Croyde is a popular surfing beach, the rides are generally pretty short on the beach though, the waves tend to pitch up and break fast making it attractive to shortboarders. There is a point break off Down End that has a gnarly take off, and when it works is actually pretty good. There is a reef break at the northern (Baggy Point) end of the beach that works for about 60 minutes during some high tides, just below the National Trust car park. Putsborough, Saunton or Woolacombe may give longer rides and these much larger beaches are less crowded during the summer months. Croyde is not generally ideally suited to longboards, but again a skilled rider on a big day will find much to challenge them.
The shape of the bay funnels waves towards the beach. The beach is also steeper than either Woolacombe, Putsborough or Saunton Sands. Because of this, rip currents are extremely strong especially near the rocks at either end of the beach. The steepness of the beach can make for powerful "dumping" waves, strong rips and fast changing conditions. The nature of the break changes as the tide changes, generally at low tide with a big swell this is a fast beach break with short, fast rides. At high tide the break is less aggressive, and the rides are somewhat longer, but they have a tendency to close out at high tide.
There were several drownings at the beach in the 1950s which caused the local authority to provide lifeguards at the beach[citation needed].
There is a break some 3/4 mile offshore that breaks when the beach of Croyde is closed out by large swells. This break is reputed to be the Mavericks of North Devon. Tim Heyland the founder of Tiki Surfshop tamed this break in the '70s. The break is called Oyster Falls.
Croyde is similar to Gower's Langland Bay in that, at low tide, they both have fast, hollow A-frame waves. (A "hollow" wave is a wave that is steep and clyndrical, usually caused by a combination of a heavy swell and an offshore (east) wind). Also like Langland, Croyde (as well as Woolacombe and Caswell Bay) boasts European Blue Flag status, the highest award available for water/sand quality and safety.
[edit] External links
Sources of impartial information
- Georgeham Parish Council
- North Devon District Council
- North Devon AONB website
- Georgeham C of E Primary School
- Braunton School and Community College
- / Croyde at the Open Directory Project
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