Beaches
Bucks Mills
Road access takes you most of the way down the steep valley, to the undisturbed village of Bucks Mills. From the top of the cliff you can enjoy panorama views of Clovelly, Peppercombe, Lundy Island and the expansive beach below.
The beach contains ample rockpools, wildlife spotting opportunities, and interesting features such as waterfalls and a rocky spit.
Hartland Quay
Located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and situated on the South West Coastal Path, Hartland Quay is a great place to start an adventure. The cliff walks offer extensive panoramas, ample wild flowers, and stunning willdife such as peregrine falcons and oyster catchers.
The beach at Hartland is well worth a visit and at low tide there is plenty of sandy beach and rock pools to enjoy, as well as rocks to scramble over.
The Wreckers Retreat Bar serves locally sourced food and ales all year round from 11.00am daily, a stones throw behind the beach.
Northam Burrows Country Park
Northam Burrows Country Park lies at the western edge of the Taw Torridge Estuary. Lying within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty the Burrows forms an integral part of North Devon's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Northam Burrows Country Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is about 253 hectares of grassy coastal plain with salt marsh, sand dunes and generally unimproved grasslands.
The Burrows provides one of the access points for the two miles of Westward Ho! Beach, thus combining the best of opportunities for land and marine leisure activities. The main ramped access point to the beach is available from the town of Westward Ho!
The Park is open to pedestrians at all times but there are restrictions on vehicles. The Burrows Centre is open from the Easter weekend to the end of October and the toilet facilities are open all year. For the Cafe opening times please contact the Pebble Ridge Kitchen on 01237424138.
Click here for information on access.
A steep one mile walk from Horns Cross passing through beautiful woodland will land you at Peppercombe beach. The backdrop of red sandstone cliffs and wooded hills sit beautifully behind the pebbled beach.
Visit at low tide to explore the numerous rock pools.
The lack of visitors allow wildlife to flourish- seals, dolphins, butterflies, wildflowers and ospreys can be spotted here.
Spekes Mill Mouth
A twenty-minute walk south of Hartland Quay brings you to Speke's Mill Mouth with its beautiful waterfall and long curving beach.
Access to the beach via steps gives you sandy stretches at low tide running down to the shore.
Surfers like to visit Spekes for its renowned reef brake, yet it remains peaceful and quiet even at the height of summer.
Westward Ho! Beach - Blue Flag awarded
Westward Ho! beach offers over two miles of golden sand backed by a unique pebble ridge linking to Northam Burrows Country Park, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Access is fairly easy down a concrete ramp from the town of Westward Ho! Additional access is also available from Northam Burrows via a rough path over the pebble ridge.
The beach is adjacent to the South West Coast Path and is near to the picturesque villages of Appledore and Clovelly, and the ancient port of Bideford.
Facilities available include several car parks close by, toilets and showers, refreshment facilities, shops, a daily lifeguard and deck chair hire during the summer months.
Both the car parks and the toilets provide facilities for disabled users. A dog exercise area is also provided with restrictions in the Blue Flag area.
The beach has RNLI lifeguard cover between the Spring and Summer seasons (May - September) who oversee the many varieties of activity that the beach lends itself to, everything from horse riding to surfing from Kite Buggying to Kite Surfing!
The beach is also used by many local organisations who utilise the vast area to commercially run their activities, both in and out of the water.
Welcome Mouth Beach
In a secluded spot on the Devon and Cornwall border, Welcome Mouth lies in the North Devon Area of Natural Beauty and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.
This stretch of coastline offers unique and rugged geological features, including a waterfall and rock pools- great for children and wildlife enthusiasts alike.
The main area of the beach is made up of pebbles above the tide line and golden sand below.
A small car park gives access to one of the loveliest beaches near Hartland. Some of the lanes are fairly narrow but worth the effort.
See the map of attractions to find this hidden gem.
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