Beaches

Did you know that Devon is the only English county to have two separate coastlines? We are fortunate that our location in Mid-Devon means that many beautiful beaches are accessible to our guests on both the north and south coasts. And we are within reach of Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall too should you wish.

The nearest beaches to us are in East Devon, where a variety of beaches stretch from sandy Exmouth in the west all the way to fossil rich Lyme Bay just into Dorset in the east. Head south past Exeter to the famed Torquay Riviera and you will find more traditionally touristy beaches with associated beach fun or even further south to the beautiful South Hams were some of the most stunning and secluded beaches reside. The North Devon coast boasts some of the best beaches for surfing, such as Croyde and Saunton, and the Somerset coast has dramatic features such as Dunster Castle and the steep gorge of the Lynton and Lynmouth funicular railway.

Read on for our run down of the best beaches to visit during your holiday. And do feel free to get in touch to suggest your best finds...

East Devon & dorset

Beer - Beer is one of our favourite places to visit, whether for the day or just for the evening. It is a great beach for swimming, pebbly so you might want to bring beach shoes, but it is steeply shelved so easy to get in and swim straight away and the water is beautiful. Beer has great food options including fish & chips, restaurants and pubs and cafes on the beach itself. Also fresh fish on sale at the bottom of the ramp. Pecorama and Beer Quarry Caves are also worth a visit. (40 mins)

Branscombe - West of Beer and wilder is Branscombe. The pretty National Trust village is set back from the sea but there is a car park and cafe The Sea Shanty right on the beach. See the anchor of the container ship Napoli which ran aground in Branscombe in 2007. (35 mins)
We often walk from Branscombe to Beer and back along a glorious stretch of the South West Coast Path. Read about the walk here.

Sidmouth - A more urban beach, but in a nice way, there are some lovely shops to browse in a semi-pedestrian area and some great eateries on the seafront, for example Dukes, Mocha and the Pea Green Boat. You can hire paddle boards on the beach. A huge car park at the western edge of the town gives onto Connaught Gardens and the Jacobs Ladder end of the beach where you will find the Clock Tower Cafe which is also excellent. The beach is mainly pebbly but there is some red sand at the Jacobs Ladder end at low tide. Take care if walking along the beach either way out of the town as there have been cliff falls in recent years. (40 mins)

Budleigh Salterton - another beautiful pebble beach a bit like Beer and Branscombe at the end of the Otter Estuary. Budleigh is a sweet little town.

You can also walk inland up the Otter to pretty Otterton Mill where there is a cafe, shop and farm shop. You might spot beavers or at least evidence of their presence. (45 mins)

Exmouth - Exmouth boasts a huge sandy beach with parking all along marine drive and in several car parks. Shallow water and little pools left by the tide make it fun for little ones, but do beware of using inflatables here as there are some strong currents and tides due to the River Exe estuary and it can also be very windy. Great beach-front services including playground, food outlets and public toilets at the Queen's Drive Space, indoor softplay and ten pin bowling at the nearby Ocean centre. Up near the new lifeboat station is a new complex with Edge Watersports, where you can hire paddle boards, shop and cafe concessions and Mickey's Beach Bar and Restaurant a new enterprise in 2021 by celebrity chef Michael Caines. Exmouth's Sandy Bay is also home to World of Country Life, a great place to visit for all the family with animals, vintage vehicles and plenty of play areas. (35 mins)

Seaton - Seaton's seafront has a slightly retired feel, however you may want to ride the Seaton Tramway, visit the Seaton Jurassic museum to learn about the history of this fantastic coastline, or go for a wander through the Seaton Wetlands nature reserve. (40 mins)

Lyme Regis and Charmouth - just into Dorset, Lyme and Charmouth are a must visit if you have a young dinosaur enthusiast with you. Excellent museums in both places and you can join a fossil hunting tour of the beach. Lyme has an area of sand near the Cobb but otherwise the beaches are pebbly/rocky. Lyme has some lovely shops and eateries too. (45 mins)

south devon

Moving south from Exeter, Dawlish is a sandy beach with lifeguards and amusements. Paignton (50 min) has a pier and the famous zoo. Goodrington Sands (55 mins) is a relaxed sand beach with a dog area and also has Splashdown water park. You can get a steam train along the beautiful coastline and River Dart estuary to Kingswear and a ferry across to delightful Dartmouth. Agatha Christie's house Greenway (National Trust) is also situated on this coastline. Torquay is a large town with a small marina, the museum is worth a visit.

Past the Dart estuary are some beautiful beaches but they do take a little while to get to. On the east facing side of the coast you will find Blackpool Sands (1 hr 20 min), which is a privately managed Blue Flag family beach and Slapton Sands (1 hr 15 min). On the south facing side of the coast are some gorgeous beaches and coves, for example South Milton, Bantham and Bigbury (all 1 hr 15 min).

north devon & somerset

If you want wilder water and surfing consider travelling to Saunton (1hr 20 min) and Croyde (1 hr 30 min). You can hire surfboards and have lessons at both (booking advised). Croyde has some great places to eat too, we love the Blue Grove.

There are some interesting places to visit along the Somerset coast including Valley of the Rocks near Lynton, the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway (1hr 20 mins) and Dunster Castle (National Trust) (1hr 5 mins). You can arrive via the heritage West Somerset Railway.