Short answer: In the village, a long lunch at The Thatch or Billy Budds covers a wet afternoon, and Cafe Croyde Bay has a sauna and cold plunge next door. Worth the drive: Ilfracombe Aquarium (20 minutes), Watermouth Castle (40 minutes) and The Big Sheep (30 minutes) for a full indoor day.
Be honest about this from the start. Croyde is one thatched street and a beach. There is no cinema, no leisure centre, no indoor attraction of any kind in the village. What it has is a handful of very good pubs, a couple of cafés, and a short drive to places with roofs.
You are getting wet anyway. Croyde produces the most reliable waves in north Devon and the surf schools run in poor weather — one reviewer at nearby Putsborough noted that surfing in drizzle is genuinely good fun because you do not notice it. If the wind is not dangerous, a lesson is a better wet-day plan than sitting in a café.
The Thatch is the obvious answer — a warren of small rooms, live music, big portions and enough space to absorb a long wet afternoon with children. Billy Budds has a large covered area and handmade pizzas. The Manor House Inn at the top of the village does a Sunday carvery worth planning around.
Cafe Croyde Bay above the bay has a sauna and cold plunge next door that people book after surfing, which is a much better wet-day idea than it sounds. Blue Groove has been going twenty-five years and does local seafood with strong vegan and gluten-free options.
Baggy Point is better in bad weather than good. The sea running against the rocks is the whole show, the full loop is about two and a half miles, and there is a lower inland path if you would rather not be on the cliff edge in a gale. Finish at Cafe Croyde Bay.
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