North Devon is blessed with some fantastic beaches, the best thing is that there is a different beach according to what sort of day out you are feeling. There are the classic big sandy tourist beaches with refreshments and beach huts and there are the more secluded secret beaches which only the locals know about. Here we have listed some of our favourites.
1) Woolacombe Beach.
Woolacombe beach is our most popular for the classic bucket and spade day out. A good tip we use is to hire one of the many beach huts which come with deckchairs and a windbreak. The town of Woolacombe is right next to the beach with local facilities, The Red Barn pub is nearby and our favourite pub for food, the Jube is just around the corner. The cinema at the Woolacombe bay hotel is amazing and well worth a visit if you can get in!
2) Lee Bay and Beach
Lee Bay is easily accessable from our front door! The south west coast path is accessable by foot from The Elmfield. There is an amazing 2 mile coastal hike to the village of Lee bay where you can find The Grampus pub for refreshments before heading down to the bay. At low tide you can head through the rocks on the left to find the hidden secret Sandy Cove beach which is often deserted even in high season.
3) Barricane Beach.
Barricane beach is hidden in plain sight at the end of the larger Woolacobe beach. It can get very busy in the summer as a shipping container serving Sri Lankan curries, drinks and sandwiches and cakes is located here every season. The sun sets dirctly in front of you as you either eat food from the Curry cabin or bring your own barbecue.
4) Raparee Cove Beach
Raparee Cove Beach is a stony beach on the opposite side of the harbour in Ilfracombe. It was traditionally a bathing beach with a gentle slope and steps cut into the rocks in the Victorian era. The best place to park for this beach is the Larkstone Lane carpark. You can then walk past the pitch and putt Golf course and down steps to the beach. We often go with a barbecue in the evening to watch the sun set over Verity the statue.
5) Croyde Beach
Croyde Beach is most famous as a world class surf destination, situated along the coast from Woolacombe the best place to park is at the Down End carpark. The Beach Cafe in the carpark serves up fantastic Sri Lankan food along with sandwiches and tea and coffee.