Woolacombe Beach(N)

Located on the coast of North Devon, Woolacombe Beach is a three-mile-long and wide beige sand beach.  This beach has won numerous awards and has been recognized as one of the best beaches in the United Kingdom and Europe many times over the years.  Woolacombe Beach is tucked between Combesgate Beach and Putsborough Beach and lies at the mouth of the valley of Mortehoe along the shores of Bristol Channel.  Woolacombe Beach has an amazing background of rugged cliffs, protected dunes, coastal vegetation, and many oceanfront buildings adding allure to its beauty, which together provide incredible views of Lundy Island and the vast Atlantic Ocean.  The beach is part of the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has been managed by Parkin Estates Ltd.

Woolacombe Beach has many amenities, including seasonal lifeguards, restrooms, showers, a beach equipment rental facility, beach huts, ice-cream kiosks, cafes, shops, restaurants, hotels, a bus stop, an ATM, and trash cans.

Woolacombe Beach offers many fun activities, including swimming, sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, jet skiing, paddleboarding, coasteering, bodyboarding, building castles, tidepooling, watching wildlife, walking, running, cycling, and hiking.  If you are planning to go into the water, it has a safe swimming area, but we recommend being careful, as the water is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  It is a perfect spot for windsurfing due to its frequently windy weather, and the beach is extremely popular with surfers due to its great waves, earning it awards for Best Surfing Beach.  Hikers can enjoy the nearby hiking trails, which offer unique insights into the local biodiversity.  Depending on the time of year, visitors may spot seals, sea lions, and dolphins.  The beach attracts a large influx of visitors during the summer season.  Dogs are allowed here if they are on a leash, except from Easter Day to October 31st, and the beach is open from sunrise until sunset.

Woolacombe Beach offers an access path for people with disabilities.

Getting to Woolacombe Beach is easy - the beach has a large paid parking lot located at Hartland House, The Esplanade, Woolacombe Ex 34 7DJ, which provides easy access to the beach.   Alternatively, there is another paid parking lot located near EX34 7BG, Challacombe Hill Road.  After parking, visitors have to walk for around 10 minutes to access the beach.

Woolacombe Beach can also be reached by a public bus (line 31 and 303), which stops near the beach.

During World War II, the beach was used to train the US Army in amphibious landings as part of the Normandy Landings.  There is a stone memorial dedicated to the soldiers on the grassy promontory at the northern end of the beach.

There are many attractions near Woolacombe Beach.  Mortehoe Museum is located in a linhay barn and has a gallery that displays interesting exhibits on the history, culture, local tourism, and farming skills of the village of Mortehoe through historic artifacts, photographs, books, maps, postcards, and related memorabilia.  North Devon Coast National Landscape is a protected natural area spread over 66 square miles that preserves the fragile ecosystem of the region, including sand dunes, coastal landscapes, estuaries, cliffs, and woodland.  Visitors can enjoy many fun activities, including hiking, picnicking, bird watching, and surfing.  Baggy Point is a dog-friendly two-mile-long circular paved walking trail that meanders through a headland and offers Instagram views of farmlands, cliffs, Lundy Island, and Bristol Channel. Bull Point Lighthouse is a 36-foot-tall lighthouse positioned on the northern tip of the village of Mortehoe that served as a navigational aid for ships to safely pass the waters of the North Devon Coast and the Bristol Channel.   If you are looking for another nearby attraction, The Big Sheep is a family-friendly animal-themed amusement park that offers many fun rides for visitors of all ages. In addition, it also offers many other fun activities, including pumpkin carving, sheep racing, lamb feeding, wall climbing, tumble towers, mazes, obstacles, and an indoor gaming arcade.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants within a six-minute drive of Woolacombe Beach.  Beach House Restaurant Woolacombe serves pre-designed four-course meals.  The Jube serves amazing burgers, sandwiches, seafood, beef, meat, and poultry dishes.  The Tides Inn serves delicious salads, burgers, sandwiches, ribs, seafood, meat, pork, beef, and poultry dishes.  Bay Brasserie serves soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, seafood, meat, and poultry dishes.   If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, The Beachcomber Cafe serves amazing eggs, pancakes, salads, sandwiches, and wraps.

If you are looking for a hotel near Woolacombe Beach, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star Woolacombe Bay Hotel is six minutes away by car and offers many amenities, including a spa, an indoor pool, a sauna, a steam room, a fitness center, tennis courts, squash courts, a snooker room, a heated pool, a paddling pool, a fire pit, two restaurants, and a cinema.  A more affordable hotel is the 4-Star Saunton Sands Hotel, which offers many amenities, including indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, squash courts, a sauna, a spa, a fitness center, and a complimentary breakfast.  Another moderately priced option is the 3-Star Wildercombe House, which has many amenities including whirlpool tubs, outdoor seating areas, and complimentary breakfast. A more reasonably priced option is the 3-Star Westwell Hall, which offers a few amenities including an outdoor seating area and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star The Smugglers Rest & Miss Fea’s Bistro offers a few amenities including a cafe and complimentary breakfast.