Beesands
The Complete Beach Guide

The Beach

Beesands Beach

Beesands is one of the most atmospheric and least-visited beach villages on the South Devon coast. It sits on the eastern shore of Start Bay — a sweeping, exposed bay that runs from Torcross in the north to Start Point in the south — and it is a place that feels genuinely remote and unchanged. The beach is a long shingle bank, the same geological feature that runs the length of Start Bay, and behind it sits the village: a narrow lane of fishermen's cottages pressed close to the shore, with the sea visible and audible from almost every window.

The Cricket Inn faces the sea directly, its garden almost on the shingle. There is a lobster and crab fishery still active in the village. Parking is very limited. There are no tourist facilities beyond the pub. Beesands is exactly as it appears — an authentic Devon fishing village with a beach, not a resort with a fishing theme. This is precisely what makes it worth the effort of finding it.

The shingle beach itself stretches for a considerable distance along the village frontage, the stones washed clean and rounded by centuries of tide. At low water the beach is widest and the shingle ridges reveal their full depth — the natural sea defence that has protected the village for generations, though not always successfully. At high tide in a swell the waves can reach close to the cottage walls, and the sea's proximity to everyday life in Beesands is something visitors notice immediately and residents accept as simply the condition of living here.

Start Bay

Start Bay & the Shingle Ridge

Start Bay is formed by a remarkable geological feature: a long barrier beach of flint and shingle that runs for several miles along the coast, behind which a series of lagoons and wetlands have developed — Slapton Ley being the largest freshwater lake in south-west England. Beesands, Torcross and Slapton Sands all sit on this same shingle feature, a ridge built over thousands of years by wave action depositing material along the shoreline.

The bay is exposed to the south and south-east, and in southerly or south-easterly gales the waves can be spectacular and destructive. Storms have repeatedly damaged the villages on this coast over the centuries, and Hallsands, the next village south of Beesands, was destroyed in a storm in 1917 following dredging of the shingle that undermined its foundations. Beesands itself has seen houses washed away and shingle walls rebuilt many times. It is a coast that asks its residents to take the sea seriously.

The Shingle as Living Geology

The shingle ridge is not a static feature. It shifts, erodes and rebuilds with each significant storm. The flint pebbles that make up most of the beach originate from chalk beds exposed on the seabed — material deposited there over millions of years and gradually moved onshore by wave action. In exceptionally low tides, the rocky platform beneath the shingle is visible at the southern end of the bay near Hallsands — the same platform that became fatally exposed to wave erosion after the Victorian dredging operations.

For visitors, the shingle beach is distinctive in feel and character from Devon's sandy beaches. The stones shift underfoot and can be uncomfortable to walk on barefoot; beach shoes are recommended. The beach drains rapidly after rain and the stones dry quickly. The sound of waves moving over shingle — a deep, rhythmic hiss and rattle as each wave withdraws — is one of the most characteristic sounds of the Start Bay coast.

The Cricket Inn

The Cricket Inn

The Cricket Inn is the heart of Beesands village and one of the most distinctively located pubs in Devon. Its terrace is literally on the shingle, its windows look directly out to Start Bay, and on a stormy day the sea spray reaches the glass. The pub has been at the centre of the village for generations, serving the fishing community and occasional visitors who have found their way down the lanes to this largely undiscovered corner of the South Hams.

Food & Drink

The Cricket Inn serves real ales, fresh local seafood — particularly crab and lobster from the village boats — bar food and more formal restaurant meals. The crab sandwiches at the Cricket Inn are among the best on the South Devon coast: generous, fresh, simply dressed, with meat from crab caught within sight of the pub windows. The lobster, when available, is exceptional by any standard and genuinely locally sourced rather than imported.

The menu extends beyond seafood — there are bar classics for those who want them and a more considered restaurant menu for evening meals — but the seafood is the reason to come here. Locals and the fishing families who work from the village have direct relationships with what appears on the plates, and that provenance shows in the quality.

The Terrace

In summer the terrace is the place to be. A pint at an outside table, with Start Bay stretching to the horizon and Start Point visible to the south on clear days, is one of the most straightforwardly pleasurable ways to spend an hour in South Devon. The terrace is dog-friendly, which adds to the relaxed atmosphere. On fine evenings in July and August there can be a wait for terrace tables — worth it. In winter, the bar is warm and low-ceilinged and entirely what a Devon fishing village pub should be: unhurried, unpretentious, with a fire and the sound of the sea just outside.

Hallsands

Hallsands — The Lost Village

Half a mile south of Beesands, the ruined village of Hallsands clings to the cliff face — or rather, the remains of it do. The story of Hallsands is one of the most striking and sobering on the entire Devon coast: a community destroyed not by a single unavoidable act of nature, but by the consequences of a deliberate industrial decision taken for profit, with the village's eventual destruction both predictable and predicted.

The Dredging and the Destruction

In the 1890s, shingle was dredged from the beach directly below Hallsands village to provide aggregate for the expansion of Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth. The dredging removed the natural shingle protection from the rock platform on which the village was built. Without the shingle buffer, the rock was exposed directly to wave action. The beach level dropped by up to four metres in places over the following two decades, as the sea removed material that would previously have been replenished naturally but could no longer be replaced once the reservoir of offshore shingle had been taken.

The villagers complained throughout this period. Their complaints were largely dismissed. In January 1917, a violent south-easterly storm overwhelmed the now-defenceless village and destroyed most of it overnight. Twenty-nine of the thirty-seven houses were completely destroyed or made uninhabitable in a single night. The remaining families were rehoused, though compensation was long disputed and inadequate.

Ella Trout and the Ruins

One woman, Ella Trout, refused to leave and lived in the ruins of the village until her death in 1939, inhabiting the one house that remained partially standing. She became a celebrated figure — an embodiment of defiant attachment to a place that had been taken by the sea — and her story has been written about and commemorated many times since.

The ruins are visible today from a viewing platform on the coast path above, and from the sea. From the platform you can see the remaining walls, the exposed rock platform below, and the Start Bay shingle running north toward Beesands. It is a haunting and genuinely moving place, particularly on a grey day when the bay is rough and the ruins are easy to picture as they might have been when occupied and whole.

Dogs

Dogs at Beesands

Beesands is one of the most dog-friendly beaches in Start Bay. There are no seasonal restrictions — dogs are welcome year-round at all times on the beach. This makes it an excellent choice for dog owners visiting the South Devon coast, where seasonal restrictions on many beaches can be frustrating during the summer months.

The shingle beach itself is well-suited to dogs. There is no soft sand to cake into coats, the beach is rarely so crowded that a dog causes inconvenience, and the village atmosphere is relaxed and informal. The Cricket Inn terrace is also dog-friendly, making it possible to walk the beach, sit for a drink or a meal with your dog at your feet, and enjoy the full village experience without negotiating restrictions.

Coast Path Dog Walking

The coast path walk south from Beesands toward Hallsands ruins and then continuing on to Start Point is an outstanding dog walk — dramatic, largely traffic-free, and rarely crowded even in summer. The path follows the clifftop with views across Start Bay to the north and increasingly dramatic headland scenery to the south as it approaches Start Point. The section past the Hallsands ruins is particularly evocative: the ruined walls below the path, the shingle beach at the base of the cliff, and the widening views out to sea.

Start Point itself — a narrow, rocky headland with a lighthouse at its tip — is a superb destination for a dog walk. The exposed, windswept character of the headland, the views in every direction, and the sense of reaching the southernmost point of Start Bay make it feel genuinely significant as a destination rather than just a waypoint. The four-mile walk from Beesands to the lighthouse and back is one of the best half-day dog walks in the South Hams.

Getting There

Parking & Getting to Beesands

By Car

Beesands is accessed via narrow single-track lanes from the A379 between Torcross and Stokenham. The approach roads are Devon lanes at their most characteristic — high-banked, narrow, passing places required, not suitable for large vehicles or caravans. The postcode for the village is TQ7 2EH.

• From Kingsbridge: Head south-east on the A379 toward Torcross and Slapton, then follow signs for Beesands before reaching Torcross. Approximately 8 miles, allow 20–25 minutes for the lanes.
• From Dartmouth: Follow the A379 south-west along the coast past Stoke Fleming and Stokenham, then south for Beesands. Approximately 14 miles, allow 35–40 minutes.
• From Totnes: Head south toward Kingsbridge on the A381, then south-east toward Torcross via the A379. Allow approximately 45 minutes to an hour depending on lane conditions.
• From Plymouth: Head east on the A38, then south via Totnes and Kingsbridge. Allow 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Parking

The village car park at Beesands is small — it holds a limited number of vehicles and fills quickly on sunny summer days, often by mid-morning on weekends. There is additional roadside parking available on the approach lane to the village, which provides a short walk into the village. Do not block passing places on the approach lanes, and do not park in front of cottage gateways — the village is a working community and access for residents and fishermen must be maintained.

Public Transport

There is no practical public transport to Beesands village itself. The nearest bus connections run along the A379 coast road to Torcross and Kingsbridge, from where Beesands is several miles via narrow lanes without a footpath. A car is effectively required to visit Beesands. This is part of what keeps the village quiet and relatively undiscovered.

Swimming

Swimming at Beesands

Start Bay is generally calmer than Devon's open Atlantic-facing beaches because the bay's orientation means southerly and south-easterly swells are the most significant. In prevailing westerly and south-westerly conditions — which are by far the most frequent in Devon — the bay can be relatively sheltered, with the headlands of the Start peninsula and Bolt Tail providing protection from the dominant swell direction. This makes Beesands a more reliably swimmable beach than many comparable Devon shingle beaches.

Sea Conditions

The water at Beesands is clear and often takes on a blue-green colour in settled conditions — Start Bay is notably cleaner water than many of Devon's busier beaches, partly because the lack of tourist development in the immediate area means fewer visitors and less disturbance. In summer the bay can feel genuinely Mediterranean on calm days: clear, flat water, warm sunshine, the shingle beach quiet and the fishing boats drawn up on the shore.

The shingle beach drops away steeply into the water — this is characteristic of shingle beaches everywhere and requires care. There is no gradual paddling zone at Beesands: within a few steps the water deepens noticeably. Entry requires care, particularly for young children and less confident swimmers. The sudden depth drop means wave action at the water's edge can be more forceful than it appears from the beach.

Fishing Heritage

Beesands Fishing Heritage

Beesands has been a crab and lobster fishing village for centuries. The combination of a sheltered beach from which boats can be launched and hauled, proximity to the rich grounds of Start Bay and the rocky reefs south of Start Point, and the community of families who have worked the sea here for generations makes it one of the most genuine remaining fishing communities on the South Devon coast.

The Working Fishery

Several families in the village still maintain working boats and creel-pot fishing for crab, lobster and spider crab. The boats are typically small, open inshore vessels — fibre glass or traditional construction — that are launched from the shingle and returned to it after each trip. At certain times of day you will see boats returning with their catch, the creel pots stacked on the beach, and the quiet, efficient activity of a working fishery going about its business with no interest in performing for observers.

The main targets are brown crab, European lobster and spider crab. The season runs from spring through autumn, with lobster most active from April through November and crab available for much of the year. The quality of Beesands shellfish is exceptional — short time between sea and table, handled with care by fishermen who know their product and have every incentive to maintain its quality.

Buying Fresh Crab at Beesands

Fresh crab can sometimes be bought directly in the village or at the Cricket Inn. The availability varies with the catch and the season — this is a working fishery rather than a retail operation, and there is no guarantee of supply on any given day. The best approach is to ask at the Cricket Inn when you arrive. The pub has direct relationships with the village fishermen and will know what is available locally, or may be offering locally-caught crab and lobster on the menu that day.

The lobster at Beesands is among the freshest available anywhere in Devon. If you are staying in self-catering accommodation in the area and want to cook lobster, asking at the pub or approaching the fishermen directly (respectfully, when they are not actively working) is the right approach. Do not expect a formal retail operation — this is a favour between a fishing community and interested visitors.

Walks

Walks from Beesands

South to Hallsands and Start Point (SWCP)

The most dramatic walk from Beesands follows the South West Coast Path south along the cliff edge to the Hallsands ruins viewing platform and then continues to Start Point lighthouse — approximately 4 miles from Beesands to the lighthouse itself. This is among the best coastal walks in the South Hams: the path climbs from the shingle of Beesands onto the clifftop, the views over Start Bay open progressively to the north, and the approach to Start Point reveals the headland's extraordinary character — a narrow, rocky peninsula jutting into the sea with water on three sides and views from Dartmoor in the north to the Lizard in the south on clear days.

The section past the Hallsands ruins is particularly evocative. From the coast path above, the ruined walls of the lost village are clearly visible below, with the shingle beach at their base and the exposed rock platform where the beach used to be. It is impossible not to be struck by the reality of what was lost here and how it was lost.

• Beesands to Hallsands ruins viewpoint: approximately 0.5 miles, 15–20 minutes one way
• Beesands to Start Point lighthouse: approximately 4 miles, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours one way
• Circular route via inland lanes: Return from Start Point via the inland bridleways and lanes to Beesands — adds 2 miles but avoids retracing the coast path. Total circuit approximately 9–10 miles.

North to Torcross (SWCP)

The coast path north from Beesands toward Torcross runs for approximately 2 miles, initially along the shoreline beside the shingle bank and then alongside the western shore of Slapton Ley as the path approaches Torcross. This is a gentler, flatter walk than the route south — the terrain is less dramatic but the birdlife around Slapton Ley (one of the most important freshwater habitats in South West England, supporting breeding and migratory species including great crested grebe, reed warbler and, in winter, wildfowl in large numbers) makes it a rewarding walk for those interested in natural history.

Torcross village at the northern end of the walk has a car park, a café, and the Sherman tank memorial — a poignant reminder of the American military training exercises in Start Bay in 1944, during which over 700 US servicemen drowned when their convoy was intercepted by German E-boats. The tank was recovered from the seabed in 1984 and stands as a permanent memorial on the beach.

Tides & Safety

Tides & Safety at Beesands

Beesands is a beach that demands respect. The absence of lifeguards, the exposed southerly aspect of Start Bay, and the steeply shelving shingle beach all require visitors to take personal responsibility for assessing conditions before swimming or entering the water.

• No RNLI lifeguards: Confident swimmers only. Never swim alone. Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
• Steep shingle entry: The beach shelves steeply into the water. Entry is abrupt and can cause falls. Take care when entering and exiting, particularly if there is any wave action.
• Southerly swell: In any southerly or south-easterly wind, Start Bay receives swell directly and conditions at Beesands can deteriorate rapidly. What appears calm in the morning can become rough and dangerous by afternoon if conditions change.
• Hallsands coast path: The section of coast path south of Beesands toward Hallsands and Start Point involves exposed cliff walking. Take care in strong winds and keep dogs and children away from cliff edges. The path is well-maintained but the headland can be very exposed in bad weather.

Tidal Awareness

The tide at Beesands is straightforward in terms of access — the beach is available at all states of tide, unlike sandy beaches where the sand disappears entirely at high water. However, the width and character of the beach changes significantly between high and low water. At low tide the shingle ridges are wide and the beach feels spacious; at high tide in a swell the waves can reach close to the cottages and the Cricket Inn terrace. Always be aware of the state of the tide and the direction it is moving before settling in for the day.

When to Visit

Seasonal Guide to Beesands

September is the best month to visit Beesands. The water temperature retains the warmth of summer — often reaching 17–19°C — the school-holiday crowds have dispersed, and the light on Start Bay in the late afternoon at this time of year has a particular quality: low, golden, the sea a deep blue-green, the shingle beach warm underfoot. The Cricket Inn is still serving outdoor meals on the terrace, the crab is at its best, and the coast path walk to Start Point is uncrowded and vivid.

Winter visits are a completely different proposition. Between November and February, Beesands can see severe weather when southerly depressions roll up the Channel — the waves in a full southerly storm can be extraordinary and the spray can reach the pub windows. On a wild winter's day there is nowhere better on the South Devon coast to understand why these villages are where they are and what it costs to live beside the sea. The Cricket Inn in winter, with the bar warm and a storm outside, is one of the most genuinely atmospheric places in Devon.

Nearby

Nearby Beaches & Attractions

• Hallsands ruins (0.5 miles south): The destroyed village visible from the coast path viewing platform — a haunting and historically significant site that no visitor to Beesands should miss.
• Torcross (2 miles north): The northern end of Start Bay's shingle ridge, with the Sherman tank memorial, a café, and direct access to Slapton Sands beach.
• Slapton Sands (3 miles north): The long shingle beach fronting the A379 and Slapton Ley — historically significant (used for D-Day rehearsals in 1944), remarkable for birdlife, and one of the most distinctive beaches in Devon.
• Start Point lighthouse (4 miles south): The dramatic narrow headland at the southern end of Start Bay, with a working lighthouse, panoramic views and the most exposed walking on the Start Bay coast.
• Kingsbridge (8 miles): The main market town of the South Hams — a working town with good independent shops, a farmers' market, restaurants, and all practical facilities for a longer stay in the area.
• Hope Cove (9 miles): A beautiful sheltered double cove at the foot of Bolt Tail, with calm swimming, year-round dogs, and an excellent village pub.
• Dartmouth (14 miles): The most visually spectacular of Devon's harbour towns, with castle, ferry, restaurants and direct access to the South Hams countryside.