North Devon Beaches
There are 16 beaches within easy reach of Longlands! Some are brilliant for long walks, some are dog friendly, some have great surf, others have great rock pools, and some are rather secret and difficult to find unless you have local knowledge!
Woolacombe Beach / Middle Beach / Putsborough Sands
We spend most of our beach time at Middle Beach, Woolacombe but we love Putsborough Sands, when we can get to it, and Woolacombe itself, if we can avoid the crowds. On Middle Beach we can be sure of having a good amount of space to ourselves with three miles of sand to choose from! Middle Beach and Putsborough Sands are dog friendly. Only the very first section of Woolacombe Beach is kept dog free.
We are not alone in our love of Woolacombe: it has been voted Best Beach in Britain for the past 2 years by TripAdvisor travellers.
Barricane Beach / Combesgate Beach / Grunta Beach
Barricane Beach is great for watching the sun set with one of Barricane Beach Cafes famous Sri Lankan curries. Combesgate Beach is next on from Barricane but is totally submerged at high tide. Beyond Combesgate is the tiny and very secret beach, Grunta. Great for paddling at low tide, and often deserted. A particularly good spot to cool off after a cliff walk around Morte Point.
Rockham Beach
Next, working north up the coast, is Rockham Beach, one of our favourite secret beaches. Just park at North Morte Farm campsite and walk down. The steps that got washed away in the winter storms a few years ago have finally been replaced! Dogs allowed.
Lee Beach
Lee Beach is next: fantastic for rock pooling if you go in the lower half of the tide. If you sneak through the gap in the rocks to the left of the beach you get to a second secret beach and there is more if you continue on. Just be careful to keep an eye on the tide so you don’t get stuck! Dogs allowed.
Tunnels Beaches
Also good for rock pooling is Tunnels Beaches in Ilfracombe. Tunnels comprises a string of unique beaches, small coves with tunnel access and a tidal Victorian bathing pool. It’s privately owned ground so an entry fee will be requested. No dogs allowed.
Combe Martin Beach & Newberry Beach
Combe Martin Beach has steeply shelving sand and a shingle beach which is great for rock pooling at low tide. Newberry Beach, to the left of Combe Martin Beach, is also a pebbly beach and is good for sea kayaking. Dogs are allowed on Newberry beach but not Combe Martin.
Wild Pear Beach
Just around the corner is Wild Pear Beach, for those who wish to have an all over tan! For this reason we think it should be renamed Wild Pair!
Heddon’s Mouth
The next bay along the coast is Heddon’s Mouth: a beautiful stream side walk ending in a fantastic rocky beach. Woody Bay is another great beach reached by a long, fairly steep and winding road, but well worth the effort if the tide is low and you have plenty of time. A great beach for a picnic and for dogs.
Lee Bay
And then there is the other Lee Bay, below Lee Abbey. Sadly not one you can take dogs to but a beautiful beach that you can very often have just to yourself. It is a pebble rather than sandy beach.
Croyde Beach
Regarded as one of the best surfing beaches in the South West due to its consistently good break. It gets incredibly crowded in summer and can take a while to reach it via the back lanes.
Saunton Sands Beach
Another beach with miles of golden sands. For some it is worth the extra time in the car to reach it due to the beach café and easy loo and showering facilities. A great beach for kite surfing. Dog friendly, but take care not to allow kids and dogs to wander into the dunes as they will get lost in minutes!
