If you want to go surfing in the UK you'll need to do it on one of the Atlantic coasts - that means Cornwall (eg Newquay or St Ives), possibly north Devon, west/south Wales or the west/north Scotland. The surf on the whole isn't reliable elsewhere - but you'd be best advised to make sure you have a decent wetsuit! The water temperatures are unlikely to ever be comfortable without one. Wherever you find surfing you're likely to find other outdoor activities and water sports on offer too and all the above are located in very scenic areas.

However, unless you have your own equipment, there's a good chance that unless you can prove a certain degree of competence then nobody will hire it out to you unless you are taking a class or course with a qualified instructor. Not only are the safety regulations here pretty tight but they'll be worried about the increasing tendency to look for someone to blame when things go wrong and will be concerned about the danger of either a criminal prosecution or a civil case in the event of you getting injured if you have an accident. They might also ask for you to prove that you have insurance in the event of you being the cause of an accident or injury to someone else too. In fact I'd be wary about hiring equipment for water sports from any outfit that didn't ask you these sort of questions.

I live on the east coast of Scotland and when my brother and his kids come up we regularly hire dinghies and go sailing but we've always been asked some pretty searching questions about our sailing experience before they'll agree to the hire - even thugh he is a licensed instructor himself. The one time that he forgot to bring his own instructor certificates with him it was pretty clear that even though we were able to say all the right things to show that we were experienced, they kept a very close on watch on us and asked us to stay in sight of the jetty until they'd see enough to convince them that we could handle the boat in open water. I'm not wanting to put a dampener on your plans but best to be forewarned rather than disappointed to discover when you arrive that you can't do what you want to do.

SM

Newquay is very popular for the surf. If you want a see it in full swing, try and get there over the 'Run to the Sun' weekend. Its a bit crazy, but a great experience. Prepate to queue on the A30 in and out over that weekend, but well worth a trip.

If you like your VW campers you're in for a car show too, one of the biggest gatherings I believe. I got stuck behind one for about 10 miles a few years back.

You'll see a few overheated on the hard shoulder too

St. Ives in Cornwall is a fantastic all-round seaside holiday, beautiful beaches and scenery, surfing on Porthmeor beach. It gets very busy in the summer but is so lovely (imo) that it's worth the crowds. Out of the main school holidays would be a little less busy. We usually go in June but will be going September this year.

In the North Devon area, both Woolacombe and Croyde are good for surfing, especially for a beginner.
Both fairly quiet resorts, though, away from the beach.
kate

I would try any of the posted suggestions EXCEPT for Newquay!.

Being from Cornwall, I can vouch for most of Cornwall, but
Newquay is horrible. (Us folk from Cornwall call it sin city).
O.K. the beaches are nice,(you might have to dodge the odd hypodermic syringe here and there) but as for the
rest of the place, it's a haven for hen nights, and booze parties, and too many boozy teenagers.
The town is run down and rather ugly too.
They're desperately trying to clean the place up, and improve it's image, but at the moment,

There ARE much nicer places in either Devon and Cornwall.

I'd recommend the Gower peninsula near Swansea (South Wales) or Lleyn Peninsula (North Wales) for great seaside holidays and very good surfing in stunning locations. Porth Neigwl is the best surf beach on the Lleyn Peninsula as far as I know...