South West Coast Path to North Devon Beaches

Travel Tips, Guides & Hotel Reviews

North Devon Beaches To Visit This Summer are far from the crowds, ideal for dog walking and perfect for a luxury picnic on the beach. Devon is often overlooked as a holiday destination. Compared to its friendly neighbour of Cornwall which has far more visitors per year. As many folks race through Devon onward south, I encourage you to stop off and enjoy Devon. You will discover quiet, winding Devon lanes, visit the long sandy beaches of North Devon, eat delicious local food and muse at the beautiful moorland views on Exmoor.

Have you considered a holiday in Devon or been inspired to walk the famous South West Coast path just like The Salt Path? This route is the UK’s longest and best-loved National Trail with a 630-mile route along the coast from Minehead on the edge of Exmoor to the shores of Poole Harbour. Originally set up in the 19th century as a coastguard patrol route to restrict smuggling. The modern-day South West Coast Path is beautiful, challenging and rewarding all at once.

Putsbrough to Woolacombe 3km Dog-Friendly Beach Walk

Devon is in the southwest corner of England, and because of this, the climate is both warm and often damp at the same time. This coastal corner is kept mild all year round, even in winter it rarely snows. When the sun shines, it really shines, and we will forgive you for thinking you are somewhere far, far away as you look out on white sandy beaches and azure water.

It takes about 6 weeks to walk the South West Coast Path, which is on my bucket list, but for now, I walk sections of the path. For this route, it starts at the privately owned beach of Putsbrough and we walked the 3km full length of the beach all the way to Woolacombe Bay.

Putsbrough Beach and Woolacombe Bay are both surf beaches, with excellent tides and clean blue beach awards. There is no lifeguard on the beach at Putsbrough, but during the main season there is at Woolacombe.

The private car park at Putsbrough in the summer can be busy, but even when I have visited here at the peak August holiday, I have always got a car parking space. There is always oodles of space on the beach. This beach is dog-friendly all year. My dog loves to splash in the sea and walk this route whatever the weather.

Woolacombe Bay Beach, North Devon.

There is a beach cafe, serving a host of lunches, ice creams, fresh coffee and of course cream teas. In the winter it is only open at weekends but from Easter to the end of October it is open daily. You can see updated times and menu here This cafe has one of the best views in Devon, as it overlooks the sea and bay. If you stay here long enough you get an uninterrupted sunset view.

If you want to see what the beach is like before you go or just visit this wonderful part of Devon virtually from your armchair, here is a link to the web cam its on 24/7 and run by the lovely Surfline folks.

Putsbrough also has the rather funny award of Best Loos in UK – and they are like something out of a hotel. Well tiled, immaculately clean and with warm water.

The walk from Putsbrough along the beach runs parallel to the South West Coast Path route. We arrived, the tide was out giving us the full beach to walk along. However, when the tide is high, the very end of the beach does get cut off. Therefore, it can be tricky to walk the full length of the bay. Check tide times and walk on the outgoing tide to be safe. The tide times are shown at the car park entrance.

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South West Coast Path to North Devon Beaches featuring Putsbrough Beach 3km walk on a sandy beach