Grunta Beach

Grunta is located beneath the village of Mortehoe and can only be accessed via a tricky cliff pass, so not suitable for the elderly or young children. It apparently got its name when a ship was wrecked off the coast and the next morning locals were woken by the sound of pigs in the cove! If you do make the trek check the tides first but once you're on the beach you will find a lovely, sandy cove with rock pools teaming with marine life.

  • Steep path
  • Low-tide only
Combesgate Beach

Combesgate Beach sits in the valley between Woolacombe and Mortehoe beneath The Watersmeet Hotel. It is a pretty, secluded, sandy beach and has won awards for its tranquility and beauty, although be warned it vanishes at high tide!

  • Low-tide only
  • Partially dog friendly
Barricane Beach

Barricane beach can be found just below the Esplanade on the way to Mortehoe. At low tide, the beach provides a pretty, sheltered cove, with safe bathing and rock pools to explore. The beach is famous for its rare collection of Cowrie shells that travel all the way across the Ocean from the Caribbean. In the Summer evenings, the beach also has an amazing Sri Lankan curry shack selling great curries that you can eat on the beach.

  • Curries on the beach in summer
  • Rockpools
  • Partially dog friendly
Lifeguarded
Facilities
Parking
Putsborough Beach

Putsborough beach can be reached via Georgeham or Croyde and the view from the top of Putsborough is truly spectacular. The beach stretches for miles from Baggy Point to Woolacombe and offers great surfing and windsurfing/kite-surfing as well as some great rock-pools for the children to explore at low tide. There is a well-maintained beach shop selling food, drinks and beach toys.

Lifeguarded
Facilities
Parking
Woolacombe Beach

Woolacombe beach runs for miles just below the popular seaside resort of Woolacombe. The first stretch of beach is Life Guarded and great for young families. This part of the beach is not dog-friendly between May and October but as the beach runs for 3 miles there is plenty of room to walk on with the dog. The beach is very popular with surfers and in windy conditions, wind-surfers and Kite-surfers and paragliders can often be seen taking off from the hills above.

Rockham Beach

Rockham beach can be found below the footpath at Morte Point. It is a lovely, secluded beach, which is only really accessible at low tide and it is accessed via a steep path so not for the elderly or very young. However, if you do make the trek, the beach offers a pretty sandy cove with loads of rock pools.

  • Low tide only
  • Steep path
  • Rock pools

Woolacombe Beaches

The coastline around Woolacombe is home to some of the best beaches in the UK. Woolacombe beach itself stretches for 3 miles to meet up with Putsborough beach sheltered by Baggy Point. This stretch of golden sand and perfect waves is famous for great surfing but is also popular with families which benefit from a Lifeguard Service.

There are several smaller beaches nearby, Barricane beach, famous for its rare cowrie shells that travel all the way from the Caribbean and a great Shri Lankan curry shack on the beach. Combesgate beach is just along the coast towards Mortehoe and provides a lovely sandy cove at low tide but like Barricaine is engulfed by the sea at high tide. Finally, Grunta and Rockham beaches can be found below the cliffs at Mortehoe, they are both lovely family beaches but not easy to get to from the cliffs above.

The coastline around Woolacombe is blessed with some of the best beaches in the UK, and if you are looking for somewhere to stay there are loads of lovely holiday cottages in Woolacombe. The glorious sandy beaches can best be enjoyed by staying in self-catering accommodation where you get your privacy and home comforts entwined with a stunning setting and luxury amenities. Renting a holiday cottage in Woolacombe is easy as there are loads to choose from, large, luxury self-catered houses or charming self-catered apartments.