A surfer managed to clamber 70ft up a sheer cliff at Perranporth beach, carrying his board most of the way, after becoming trapped at the base and battered against the rocks by waves.

Coastguard teams were called out on Friday evening after a call to Falmouth Coastguard centre that a surfer had been swept under the cliffs at Droskyn Point, Perranporth.

The St Agnes coastguard team and St Agnes lifeboat were paged at 8:41pm on Friday just as light was fading, and just after low tide started pushing in, with surf conditions of very short but sizeable north westerly local wind chop and swell.

The surfer, Leyton Gritt from St Agnes, had become trapped against the base of the cliff in under the youth hostel at Droskyn point.

A St Agnes Coastguard team spokesman said that the surfer had, out of desperation, climbed over 70 foot up the cliff unaided to rescue himself. 

Adding: "It was initially thought by the casualty that there was a second surfer also in difficulty and so the coastguard and lifeboat searched the area.

"It soon became apparent from talking with the casualty that the other surfer that he had seen had actually been the person that ran up the beach to raise the alarm. A good outcome and a reminder for us all not to surf alone."

The surfer had to leave his board behind after reaching a part of the cliff that he could not climb past while carrying it, however the board was later recovered as part of a training exercise.

Falmouth Packet:

The spokesman added: "Visitors at Perranporth YHA youth hostel had their breakfast interrupted Saturday morning when St Agnes Coastguard used the front garden of the hostel to recover the surfboard left halfway up Droskyn point cliff on Friday night.

"The board needed to be recovered as it would pose too much of a danger for someone to see it and inevitably try to retrieve it themselves. The team used the recovery of the board as a training exercise. It became an exercise in working in a confined space, whilst making sure the stakes avoided all the service pipes in the very small cliff top garden.

"Thanks to Phil, the youth hostel manager, for the photos and the tea."

Falmouth Packet:

Photos St Agnes Coastguard.