Image by Nathan Hill Haimes
Woolacombe and Mortenhoe sit at the end of a steep valley leading down to the coast and onto three miles off Sandy Bay. The beach lies between Morte Point and Baggy Point; Life guards ensure safe family swimming during the summer and surfers come from all over the country to enjoy the great waves and clean water. The beach has easy disabled access, complete with shop, parking, water sports, toilets, safe swimming, and refreshments. The village has a friendly holiday atmosphere, great pubs, restaurants and places to stay and there is plenty to do away from the beach. This resort has been awarded the "England for Excellence Gold Award" and voted one of the Best British Beaches.
Mortehoe is inseparably linked with Woolacombe as it offers virtually the same as its neighbour, which often creates a friendly rivalry between the villages. The jewel in the crown of North Devon’s beaches is Woolacombe Sands, to escape the crowds that fill Woolacombe Sands during the height of the main season, then Barricane Beach and Combesgate Beach are alternatives.
At low tide, these beaches are full of large pools; providing safe places for children to play. Barricane Beach is a site of scientific interest where small shells from far flung places can sometimes be found, it has a cafe and many facilities. Putsborough Sands at the other end of the beautiful beach to Woolacombe, it’s a great surfing beach with easy access from a car park on the cliffs overlooking the beach. Croyde Bay is a holiday resort village on the west-facing coastline of North Devon, it’s a stunning location offering picturesque views, picture book thatched cottages and outstanding scenery. The Red Barn Inn has food, live music and fun. Surfing in Croyde Bay is highly regarded as one of the best places to learn to surf in the UK. Croyde Bay is less than 5 miles from Woolacombe. There is a popular circular walk for those that like to EXPLORE which starts and ends at Baggy Point Carpark grid ref: SS430398 to Woolacombe. This walk takes in two superb beaches. Starting in the popular resort of Woolacombe, you can choose to walk along the sandy beach or on the sand dunes and cliffs behind for around two miles as far as Putsborough Sands at the other end of Woolacombe Sands. On a clear day you can see Lundy Island, which is owned by National Trust, 20 miles due west across the Atlantic Ocean.
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The waters around Lundy island are world famous for scuba diving and unusually, Lundy has licence to issue its own postage stamps. There are a number of holiday cottages and a renowned pub. Please see
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lundy for details
The entire walk is an excellent route for wild flowers and bird watching. The area is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geological features . Amongst the array of places to eat and stay in Croyde, the Thatch Inn is well worth a try. The popular Golden Coast Oceanfest is held in Croyde Bay.
The unique expanse of Braunton Burrows includes Saunton Sands, a half mile stretch of golden sand backed by the impressive dunes. The quality of the family beach and surfing is renowned, plus there are other sporting activities like kite surfing, kayaking and paddle boarding, to name a few. There are toilet and refreshment facilities. The Saunton Sands Hotel is actually on the beach, but there are other choices just beyond the sand dunes.
Braunton is the gateway to the golden beaches and the great resorts of the North Devon coast. It is five miles from Barnstaple and reputed to be the largest village in England. The shops and surf specialists, good selection of eateries and places to stay, make this village an ideal base for everything in North Devon.
The Agriculture Inn, known locally as the Aggie, professes to serve the best food out of all the pubs in the village. Climb to Braunton Beacon at the top of West Hill and enjoy the panoramic view of Braunton Great Fields, and the Braunton Burrows Nature Reserve. In the village, St Brannock’s Church and the Elliot Art Gallery are well worth a visit, as are the Countryside Centre and Braunton Museum. On the corner of Saunton Sands and the Taw estuary in the Braunton Burrows Biosphere Reserve is Crow Point. It is possible to drive or cycle over Braunton Marsh from Velator at Braunton. A boardwalk gives access to the dunes and there is a river beach, in summer there is a toll to pay to use the private road to Crow Point car park.
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