7 Of The Best Beaches in North Devon

Plus it’s a super safe beach to swim at – a perfect dipping spot. There are tunnels & caves to swim into, just check the tide before doing so. 

Broad Sands faces the Bristol Channel so like all other beaches on this stretch, is pebble.

We recommend hiring kayaks or stand up paddle boards from nearby Watermouth Bay and paddling round to Broad Sands. It’s the perfect way to get to Broad Sands beach in Devon and you avoid the 202 steps accessing the beach.

Located between Watermouth and Combe Martin, take the A399 and turn off on either Barton Hill or Barton Lane and then turn left past The Sandy Cove Hotel. The road here turns to track and if you follow this track up there is limited parking near the steps down to the beach.

WATCH OUT FOR:

It’s worth checking the tides before arriving as high tide will only leave a fraction of the beach to explore.

Stag doos occasionally arrive coasteering but generally build a fire, toast marshmallows and leave again.

The steps back up can be punishing (there are 202!) so only take what you can realistically carry down with you & get the kids to count the steps on the way back up (not the way down!)

Parking is limited and so can be tricky.

Facilities – none!  no toilets, no showers, no café, just raw wild beauty! Enjoy.

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WATCH OUT FOR:

Putsborough Sands is an intermediate surfing beach with no RNLI life guards so watch your children and don’t let them play where the waves aren’t breaking.

Restrictions – good dogs are welcome all year round on Putsborough Sands south of the red dog bin in Zone C.

Facilities: café, toilets, car park

4. Wild Pear Beach

GOOD FOR:

adventure for older kids | peace & quiet | wild swimming | beach fires | great to kayak to | naturalist

One of the most secret beaches in North Devon, Wild Pear Beach is completely off the beaten track.  More suited to families with older kids, Wild Pear Beach, is a bit of an adventure to get to with a short hike in and accessed by rope due to a landslide on the last 20 metres of path. The rope is easy enough to scramble down though and it’s quick enough to walk to before it becomes a slog.

An idyllic, protected cove surrounded by high cliffs Wild Pear Beach is a gem of a spot – perfect for families wanting to immerse themselves in nature.

With it’s northerly aspect into the Bristol Channel (you can see Wales on a clear day), Wild Pear beach is totally safe to swim in with no crashing surf.

Park in the Kiln pay & display car park in Combe Martin and take the coastal path east for 20-25 mins. After the 5 bar gate you’ll spot a sign post down to Wild Pear beach. A decent path continues for 5-10 mins until you hit the landslide. Ease yourself down on the rope and voila, Wild Pear beach awaits.

WATCH OUT FOR:

Don’t bite off more than you can chew – Wild Pear beach isn’t for young kids – they won’t have the stamina to get there & you will enter moan central.

There aren’t that many nudist beaches in North Devon but Wild Pear beach, due to it’s complete privacy does occasionally have ‘naturalists’ there. I’ve never spotted any nakedness there on my visits, but bear this in mind if you’re particularly prudish.

Wild Pear beach is perfect for swimming & exploring, but if your kids get bored easily, take them to a beach where there’s more to do & see.

Facilities: none | hard to access 

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5. Barricane Beach

GOOD FOR:

rock pooling | rock jumping | shell collecting | epic Sri Lankan curries (Summer only)

This little known beach is a great spot for rock jumping and rock pooling. The beach is famous for perfect cowrie shells which turn up all the way from the Caribbean (hence the name Barricane).

Only minutes from Woolacombe, this cove is on the road out to Mortehoe and is opposite the big ole ramshackle french colonial house (wouldn’t I just love to snap that place up!).

Super accessible for young families as road side parking is available less than 25 metres away – bonus.

WATCH OUT FOR:

Don’t expect the beach to yourself in the Summer, it’s rammed every evening with curry fever but has a wonderful atmosphere.

Get there early before they run out of curry.

No lifeguards here so pay attention with kids.

Facilities: car parking along the top, fabulous curries during Summer months

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6. Croyde

It has a great mix of everything – the dunes backing the beach are a haven for happy kids, it has facilities close to hand, fabulous rock pooling and kids love playing in the stream which dissects the beach in half.

Young children will love Ruda’s hidden away playground a stone’s throw away behind the dunes (follow the stream up to the stone bridge, follow the path around to the left and cross the wooden bridge to your left).

There’s also the old limestone kilns on the northern rocks. If you scramble across these rocks you get to the old slipway and a huge stone wall. Sitting here is a wonderful sun trap and a great place to watch the kids rock pool.

There’s a lovely National Trust cafe, Sandleigh Tea Rooms at the top of the slip. Pricey but great food & worth the money for the tranquil setting in old wall gardens.

Dogs only permitted on Croyde beach from Sept – May.

The Southern end of the beach is less busy. To access this side park at Down End Pay & Display Car Park (the first car park on the right when driving round Down End (the point between Saunton & Croyde). It takes only a couple of minutes to reach the beach from the path. You’ll find a small pebbly cove here which plenty of rocky inlets to the South (great for shell collecting).

To access the main beach cross the 50m cove to the North & pick up a secret cemented path over the rocks to enter the Southern side of Croyde Beach. Down End car park has a lovely take away café, The Drop In.

If you want facilities to hand & don’t want to have to walk far with young kids to access them, drive through Croyde & take the left turn to Baggy Point, then park on the road near the beach entrance opposite Ruda or carry on a few minutes & park in the National Trust Baggy Point car park. You can then access the beach either along the old slip & across the rocks, or walk past the Tea Rooms & along the path to the main beach entrance.

WATCH OUT FOR:

A heavily guarded RNLI beach this beach is not safe so be sure to swim between the flags and know that Oct half term is the last week the RNLI patrol here.

If you visit during the Winter months, know that Croyde has rips on the North and South sides all year round where the water rushes back out against the rocks. Avoid this area.

Rips can also occur in other spots depending on the shifting sand banks so never leave your kids unattended in the water and never play where the waves aren’t breaking.

Facilities: Tea rooms, Playground, Shop, Car parking, Toilets, Showers

7. Rockham Bay

GOOD FOR:

camping | rock pooling | wreck exploring | dog walkers

Owned by the National Trust, Rockham is a secluded rocky sandy beach, fabulous for rock pooling but sandy enough for kids.

Explore the remains of the wrecked mail steamer SS Collier which ran aground in 1914. The steamer’s propeller, boiler and donkey engine can be seen at low tide. (The steamer was one of the first mail ships to carry mail to Australia. The crew were rescued, along with the ship’s dog and cat.). The wreck is toward the north of the beach.

It’s a 20 min walk to the beach unless you’re staying at the campsite.

Park in the pay & display in Morthoe and follow the signs to Rockham Bay. There are steps down to the beach but easy enough.

The bay does have strong currents but the beach is considered safe for paddling and dipping. The beach has only just re-opened after the steps were washed away in the Valentine’s Day storms of 2014.

This is dog friendly beach in North Devon and welcomes dogs all year.

WATCH OUT FOR:

If you want to explore the wreck, go at low tide.

The steps/climb back up can be tiring.

Facilities: None