The Best Beaches in South Devon — Complete Guide

Bantham Beach

South Hams · TQ7 3AJ · Surf, estuary swimming, dogs year-round

Bantham is the finest beach in South Devon and one of the best in England. A wide arc of golden sand, dune-backed and wild, where the River Avon meets the Atlantic — creating a warm, sheltered estuary lagoon at one end that's perfect for families, while the open sea end offers genuine surf and RNLI-monitored ocean swimming.

What makes Bantham special is the combination: it's undeveloped, beautiful, dog-friendly all year, and yet provides real facilities for a day out — lifeguards, parking, a car park café, and the legendary Sloop Inn pub a short walk away. No arcades, no jet skis. Just beach, sea, dunes, and the view south to Burgh Island.

The Surf

Bantham picks up South to South-West Atlantic swells and works best at mid-tide with offshore winds. Not as consistent as Croyde but more beautiful, and less crowded. The local Bantham Surf Club has a strong tradition. Beginners should head next door to Bigbury-on-Sea where lessons are available.

Read the full Bantham guide →

Blackpool Sands

Near Dartmouth · TQ6 0RH · Crystal water, sheltered bay, Venus Café

Not to be confused with the Lancashire resort — this Blackpool Sands, on the coast between Dartmouth and Torcross, is one of the most beautiful beaches in England. A horseshoe bay enclosed by steep, dark-wooded headlands, the water here is genuinely extraordinary: turquoise, clear, with visibility running to several metres on a calm day. It looks Mediterranean and — from June to September — feels it.

Privately managed by the Blackpool Sands estate, the beach is well-maintained, limited in visitor numbers by the car park size, and consistently wins beach awards. The Venus Café has terrace seating with direct bay views and serves excellent food — fresh fish, proper lunches, great cream teas.

Read the full Blackpool Sands guide →

Salcombe Estuary Beaches

South Hams · North Sands, South Sands, Mill Bay — warmest water in England

The sheltered beaches of the Salcombe Estuary are Devon's warmest — the deep, enclosed estuary traps heat from the sun and the shallow sandy beaches warm the water to levels more commonly associated with the Mediterranean. North Sands, South Sands, and Mill Bay are all accessible from Salcombe and each has its own character.

North Sands is the most accessible — a sandy beach a short walk from town (or reachable by ferry) with a café, good swimming, and a lovely outlook across the estuary. South Sands is more secluded, accessible by a scenic cliff path or the South Sands Ferry from Salcombe town, and has the charming South Sands Hotel and beach café. Mill Bay on the Salcombe Bar side is reached by ferry and very quiet — almost like having a private beach.

Hope Cove

South Hams · TQ7 3HH · Sheltered fishing village, dogs year-round

Hope Cove is one of South Devon's great secrets — a beautifully preserved fishing village with two small beaches (Inner Hope and Outer Hope) that are calm, sheltered, and welcoming to dogs all year round. The village sits at the base of Bolt Tail headland, one of the most dramatic promontories on the Devon coast, and the clifftop walk from the village is exceptional.

Inner Hope is the more sheltered of the two — a tiny sandy cove right in the heart of the village with very calm water, even when the broader Start Bay is choppy. Outer Hope is wider, more open, and offers good rock pooling around its headland. The village pubs are excellent and the atmosphere is completely unspoilt.

Walking from Hope Cove

The cliff walk from Hope Cove to Bolt Tail (30 minutes return) is one of the great short walks in Devon — dramatic headland views, kestrels and ravens, and the feeling of being at the very edge of England. On a clear day the view extends to Plymouth Sound and beyond. Continue south along the coast path toward Salcombe for a longer day walk.

Thurlestone Beach

South Hams · TQ7 3JY · Arch rock, rock pools, dog friendly

Named after the distinctive "thirled stone" — a natural arch of rock standing offshore that has been a navigational landmark for centuries — Thurlestone Beach is one of the quieter South Hams beaches and all the better for it. Good swimming, accessible rock pools at both ends of the beach, dogs welcome, and the Thurlestone Hotel above for a post-beach treat.

The arch rock is visible from the beach and is particularly atmospheric at low tide. Rock pools at the southern end are extensive and excellent for families. The AONB clifftop above the beach offers superb walking toward Bantham (3 miles) or Hope Cove (2 miles).

Bigbury-on-Sea

South Hams · TQ7 4AR · Beginner surf, sea tractor, Burgh Island views

Bigbury-on-Sea is the accessible, family-friendly complement to the wilder Bantham Beach just around the headland. Gentler surf makes it ideal for beginners — the Bigbury Surf School operates here with lessons and board hire — and the Venus Café is one of the best beach eateries in South Devon. The big draw, though, is the view: Burgh Island sits just offshore, connected to the beach by a shallow sandy causeway at low tide, with the legendary sea tractor ferrying visitors across at high tide.

Burgh Island

South Devon · TQ7 4BG · Tidal island, art deco hotel, Pilchard Inn

Burgh Island is not quite a beach — it's a tidal island, accessible on foot across the sand at low tide or by sea tractor at high tide, with a small cove of its own on the landward side. But it belongs in any guide to South Devon's coastal highlights. The white art deco Burgh Island Hotel on the skyline is one of Devon's great landmarks, and the ancient Pilchard Inn on the island's far side — one of the oldest pubs in Devon — serves decent ales and tremendous atmosphere.

Agatha Christie wrote two novels here (And Then There Were None; Evil Under the Sun) and the island retains a glamorous, slightly eccentric edge. Walk around it at low tide, explore the rock pools and coves, take lunch at the Pilchard Inn, and return as the tide fills in. One of Devon's genuine experiences.

Soar Mill Cove

South Hams · Walk-in only · NT land · No facilities

Soar Mill Cove requires effort — the walk in from the road is about one mile each way, through National Trust farmland on the clifftop above Salcombe — and that effort is precisely why it remains one of the most unspoilt beaches in Devon. No facilities of any kind. No crowds. National Trust land on all sides. The cove itself is small, sandy, rock-flanked, and utterly beautiful — the kind of secret beach you half-worry about mentioning.

Wild swimming here is excellent: clean water, good visibility, calm in settled weather. Dogs are welcome year-round. Carry everything you need including food, water, and sun protection. Park in the small NT car park near Soar hamlet (or the layby on the lane) and follow the coast path signs.

South Milton Sands (Thurlestone Sands)

South Hams · TQ7 3JY · Family-friendly, accessible, lifeguards

South Milton Sands — also known as Thurlestone Sands — is the most accessible family beach on the South Hams coast. A wide, sandy beach with RNLI lifeguards in season, a good car park, a café, and easy flat access to the beach make it the practical choice when you need hassle-free family time by the sea. It's backed by a dune system with a freshwater lagoon behind — interesting wildlife habitat and a fun area to explore. Dogs are generally welcome.

Slapton Sands

Start Bay · Dogs year-round · 3-mile barrier beach · Sherman Tank

Slapton Sands is one of South Devon's most unusual landscapes — a three-mile shingle and sand barrier beach that separates the sea from the freshwater Slapton Ley, Devon's largest natural freshwater lake and a National Nature Reserve. The juxtaposition is remarkable: stand on the beach with the Atlantic in front and the reed-fringed ley behind, and you're in a genuinely unique environment.

A Sherman tank recovered from the sea floor stands at the Torcross end of the beach as a memorial to Operation Tiger — the disastrous D-Day rehearsal that took place off this coast in 1944 and cost nearly 1,000 American lives. The story is told in plaques along the beach. Dogs are welcome year-round with no restrictions whatsoever.

Beesands

Start Bay · Devon's most local beach · Working fishing boats

Beesands barely appears on tourist maps, and that's the point. This tiny fishing village has a shingle beach from which working boats still launch — the Devon crab fishery is still very much alive here. The cricket pitch backs onto the shingle. A handful of cottages, the Cricket Inn pub, and very little else. It's one of those South Devon places where you feel you've found something real, unlayered by the tourism industry.

The beach itself is simple shingle, the pub is excellent (fresh crab and good ales), dogs are welcome, and the walks north along the Start Bay coast path toward Torcross and Slapton are among the most dramatic in Devon.

Mothecombe (Erme Mouth)

South Hams · Private estate · Open Wed & weekends · Tidal river

Mothecombe is the most extraordinary entry on this list — a privately owned beach that opens to the public on Wednesdays and weekends only, where the River Erme meets the sea in a wide tidal estuary. No facilities of any kind. No lifeguards. No shops. Just the river, the sea, the estuary birds, and the remarkable wild solitude of the South Devon coast.

The approach is through private estate farmland (following the signed footpath from the car park). Dogs are welcome year-round. At low tide the estuary mouth can be waded — a wild, elemental experience. In summer, the river above Mothecombe is beautiful for swimming. One of Devon's very best kept secrets.