About Combe Martin Beach
Combe Martin is one of the most unusual villages in Devon — a long, thin settlement winding nearly two miles along the floor of a steep valley, once home to a thriving silver and lead mining industry and home to the Pack of Cards pub, built (legend has it) by a gambler in the shape of a house of cards. The beach sits at the valley's seaward end, sheltered on both sides by headlands and backed by rising cliffs that the South West Coast Path traverses above. It is a modest beach — mostly shingle, with patches of sand at low tide and a stream from the valley running across it to the sea — but its setting is wonderful and it is remarkably quiet even on busy summer days when nearby Ilfracombe and Woolacombe are heaving.
The Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park sits at the upper end of the village and is one of North Devon's most popular family attractions — combining the beach with a visit makes for a natural full day out.
The Beach
Combe Martin Beach is a mixed shingle and sand cove, roughly 300 metres wide at its broadest point. The southern end of the beach, where the stream enters the sea, has the best rock pools — accessible at low tide across rocks that expose a good variety of intertidal habitats: higher pools dominated by limpets and periwinkles, mid-shore pools with blennies, shore crabs and anemones, and lower pools at spring low tides revealing sea urchins and small fish. The cove is well-sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly swell by the headlands on either side, making it calmer than many North Devon beaches and good for paddling with children even when conditions elsewhere on the coast are rough.
A small stream from the Combe Martin valley runs across the beach — the children inevitably find this within minutes of arriving, and dam-building is a perennial activity. There are no formal beach facilities (no café, no toilets on the beach itself), but the village is only a short walk away and has a pub, a café and a shop.
🦀 Rock Pooling at Combe Martin
- Best area: Southern end of beach at low tide, around the rocks near the stream outlet
- What to find: Shore crabs, hermit crabs, beadlet anemones, blennies, limpets, periwinkles, mussels, sea slaters
- Best tides: Spring low tides (check tide times before visiting) expose the most rock pool habitat
- Tip: Bring a hand net and bucket — the beach is shallow and safe for young children to wade in calm conditions
- Leave no trace: Return all creatures to the pool you found them in, and replace rocks carefully
Swimming & Safety
Combe Martin Beach is one of the safer swimming beaches on the North Devon coast — the sheltered cove reduces wave action considerably compared to exposed beaches like Croyde or Saunton, and there is no significant rip current risk in the centre of the cove. The water quality is generally good (the stream does dilute marginally after heavy rain — check Environment Agency bathing water data if in doubt). There is no lifeguard provision at any time of year, so swimming is at your own risk. The beach is not suitable for surfing.
Parking & Getting Here
The main car park for Combe Martin Beach is the village car park at EX34 0DH, roughly a 5-minute walk from the beach. Combe Martin is reached via narrow lanes from the A399 — follow signs from the main road. The lanes into the village are genuinely tight and caravans should not attempt them; a large car park on the A399 at the top of the village offers a walk down the valley if preferred. A seasonal bus service runs from Ilfracombe to Combe Martin (check current timetables with Stagecoach or Barnstaple bus station).
💡 Best Time to Visit Combe Martin Beach
Visit on a weekday in May, June or September for the best combination of good weather, low crowds and uncrowded car parking. The beach faces roughly north-west and catches afternoon sun best. Low tide gives the most beach and the best rock pools — check tide tables before you go. July and August weekends can see the village lanes backed up with traffic; if you arrive after 10am in high summer, consider using the top car park and walking down.
Things to Do Near Combe Martin
The Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park at the upper end of the village is the headline family attraction — one of the most popular wildlife parks in Devon. Hele Bay, just east of Ilfracombe, is a superb alternative beach with a café and easier parking. Watermouth Cove, between Combe Martin and Ilfracombe, has a castle (a Victorian folly now operating as a family attraction) and a small sheltered harbour. Ilfracombe town, 4 miles west, has the famous Tunnels Beaches — Victorian tidal pools cut into the cliffs — the Verity statue by Damien Hirst on the harbour pier, and a good selection of cafés and restaurants.
For walking, the cliffs above Combe Martin carry the South West Coast Path in both directions. Heading east the path climbs to the extraordinary heights of Great Hangman (318m, the highest point on the entire SWCP) and then Little Hangman before descending toward Heddon's Mouth and the Valley of Rocks. This is some of the most dramatic coastal walking in North Devon — allow at least 4 hours for a serious coastal walk and return by taxi or bus.
🦀 Rock Pooling
The southern rock platform at low tide is one of the better rock pooling sites on the North Devon coast — crabs, anemones and blennies in abundance.
🎣 Sea Fishing
Local anglers fish from the beach and rocks for bass, mullet and mackerel in season. The incoming tide is best. No permits required for shore fishing.
🚶 Coastal Walking
The SWCP above the beach gives access to Great Hangman — the highest cliff on the entire South West Coast Path — and dramatic walking in both directions.