12 Great Beaches and Coastal Views of North Devon

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Woolacombe's expanse of sand sheltered by dunes

The North Devon coastline is a dramatic mixture of towering, gigantic cliffs, spectacularly rugged rocky shores and vast sandy beaches, with some tiny tranquil coves hidden away waiting to surprise you.

1 Hartland Point
Hartland Point is the most extreme north west point of Devon. Three miles from the main A39 Atlantic Highway that links Devon with Cornwall, spectacular cliffs mark the western end of Bideford Bay. From the car park (£2) the route to the coast takes you along a gorse-fringed section of the Coastal Path. Far below the cliffs is a beach at low tide but there’s no way down to it. The joy in visiting Hartland Point is the scenery – and the lovely walk...
There’s a lighthouse at Hartland Point. Built in 1874, this lighthouse was unusual in that it had living quarters for the families of its four keepers. The original revolving light was driven by a clockwork mechanism which had to be wound every two and a half hours. The path is steep but concreted so the going is easy and you'll reach Hartland Point within minutes.
The concrete trail ends and the path gets muddy as the lighthouse comes into view. Far below, to the west of the lighthouse, the rusting remains of a ship lie on the shore. It was the Panamanian-registered cargo vessel Johanna, which ran aground in 1984 while carrying wheat from Holland to South Wales; all crew were saved. It’s an eerie reminder of the savagery of these spectacular shores.
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2 Westward Ho!
The tiny resort of Westward Ho! is another world from the cliff path enticement of Hartland Point. The town, named after the title of a novel written in 1885 by Charles Kingsley, is small – a conglomeration of slot machines, cafés, go-karts and crazy golf, all jammed up around the end of a slipway. This is a little bit of North Devon’s contribution to British seaside tradition. But it’s not for everyone. Look beyond all that and you discover the real joy here – the beach. There are boulders to sit on, rock pools to explore and plenty of sand.

3 Saunton
This is a beach for activities. It’s one of North Devon’s best surfing beaches. It’s vast – and complete with a large car park, beach showers, restaurant and takeaway, plus a shop selling beach clothing and a huge array of kids’ beach play equipment. Saunton is a place to play ball games, walk, surf, or sit and listen to the distant roar of sizeable breakers far out across the sand. Kayaks can be hired here, as can windbreaks, parasols and sun loungers. Come here for a whole day when the weather’s perfect. On the north side of the beach, cliffs have been eroded at the base, creating small caves. The sand that created these cliffs lies just as it was deposited, in perfect horizontal strata. The sea has etched away at the softer lower strata, creating these caves. They don’t go under the cliff far enough to be risky, so they’re great for exploring.
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4 Appledore
At the point where the estuary of the Torridge merges with the Taw lie two old fishing villages, opposite one another. Appledore is on the west side of the Torridge. There’s a great expanse of sandy estuary here, bordered by dunes. It’s been a salmon fishing port for centuries. Away from the quayside is a maze of narrow streets and whitewashed cottages; some of the streets are barely two metres wide. Appledore is a quaint, quiet place, well away from the tourist path – but not so well hidden as its neighbour on the opposite side of the Torridge...

5 Instow
You can see the white, smart houses of Instow clearly from Appledore but it’s not until you drive, via Bideford, to this tiny gem of a place that you can appreciate its real charm. Like Appledore, Instow is definitely a place that attracts people who live locally rather than tourists. The sand is firm to walk on, dogs are allowed and, from May to September, you can take a passenger ferry across the river to Appledore. Waterside Gallery sells art of various forms – enamelling, pottery and paintings. Views are amazing from Instow – of Bideford Bar, a long narrow bank of shingle at the confluence of the Taw and Torridge that generates large foaming breakers, and the sand dunes of Braunton Burrows. This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, important as a wintering area for wading birds including lapwing and golden plover.
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6 Bideford
Bideford spans both sides of the River Torridge, with fishing and pleasure craft moored right alongside the town. The west side is the main town; the opposite side is quaintly called East-the-Water. It’s a prosperous town, an old port, with a spectacular 13th century bridge of 24 arches, each of a different width.

Bideford's Ancient Bridge

7 Croyde
Croyde Bay is another great surfing beach, although much smaller than the vast expanse of Saunton Sands. Like Saunton, its shelf is exceptionally shallow, creating loads of sand area and perfect surfing conditions. There’s a restaurant, café and a surf school. Croyde village, just inland, is a conglomerate of ancient houses, some thatched. There’s a bakery, somewhere to eat and a quiet prettiness everywhere.

8 Baggy Point
Jutting out into the sea just north of Croyde is a small peninsula called Baggy Point. Surf suits hang out to dry on the outside of many of the houses here. As you walk the short distance to the coast from the small car park a magnificent beach vista unfolds. A deep cleft between rocks to the left of the beach is spectacular; a perfect place for rock pooling. Fingers of rock stretch out into the sea. As you walk further the view gets more spectacular. This is wild-coast North Devon at its remotest – and best.

9 Woolacombe
Woolacombe is a jewel in the North Devon crown. It’s a small resort, in that it has beach shops and cafés. All of that is tasteful as well as being functional. More important, though, is the beautiful, curving, sheltered beach that’s a favourite for swimming and surfing. Dunes and cliffs provide shelter – and also give you chance to take a walk and stand back, elevated above the beach, to appreciate its beauty.
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10 Ilfracombe
By contrast with Woolacombe, North Devon’s best-known coastal town is a resort in the subdued, sedate sense. There are gardens and a promenade to stroll, a theatre by the sea, and Victorian architecture to gently ease you back into a time gone by, of elegance and formality – and gives a glimpse of the origin of the seaside holiday tradition as we know it today. Ilfracombe’s best bit is its beaches. One of the prettiest is Wildersmouth Beach, once the haunt of smugglers and now a sheltered haven in which to sit and soak up the sunshine.
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11 Haggington Point
About three miles east of Ilfracombe lies Haggington Point. There’s nothing here – except an awesomely magnificent view; it’s at the east end of Hele Bay. This place is yet another demonstration that the North Devon coastline has many, many spectacular – and little-known viewpoints that seem remote but are all within easy reach of one another.

12 Combe Martin
Just east of Ilfracombe, Combe Martin is a small coastal residential village with little for the tourist except a deeply sheltered beach at the head of an inlet. Steeply folded cliffs and remnants of a harbour wall are visible if you look to the west; there’s another gorgeous cliff and sea vista to the east, too.
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For more information on North Devon visit their official tourism website, here.

Inspired?
For the top attractions along the north coast of Devon, click here.
Fancy touring the South Coast?
For our feature on the best beaches of South Devon, click here.

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12 Great Beaches and Coastal Views of North Devon

The North Devon coastline is a dramatic mixture of towering, gigantic cliffs, spectacularly rugged rocky shores and vast sandy beaches, with some tiny tranquil coves hidden away waiting to surprise you.

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