Beaches & Outdoor Activities

Beaches

Lower Coombe Royal is just five miles away from the nearest sandy beaches - the closest being Bantham – a Marine Conservation Society recommended beach. Very popular with families, it has rock pools and sand dunes to explore and is also a good place for surfing and windsurfing. Bigbury-on-Sea and Thurlestone have wide expanses of flat golden sand, while Hallsands is a sheltered, shingle cove. Bigbury is linked to Burgh Island by a causeway at low tide, while Thurlestone is famous for its rock, once painted by Turner and now owned by the National Trust. Or you might like to visit Slapton Sands where there is also a freshwater lagoon behind the beach – great for bird-watching! Blackpool Sands is a favourite of families with young children. Its crescent-shaped beach of coarse golden sand, running into clear blue water, is surrounded by craggy cliffs and pine wood – a veritable sun-trap. Hope Cove, once frequented by smugglers, is a pretty fishing village with two sandy beaches and shipwrecks to explore if you’re a diver. Challaborough is a sheltered horse-shoe cove of fine sandcastle sand, with rock pools to explore at low tide. Good for watersports, it hosts top class surf competitions. Bigbury, Blackpool Sands and Challaborough are all ‘Blue Flag’ beaches. With 25 beaches to choose from, you could visit a different beach every day for over three weeks!

beach

For more information on the many beaches of the South Hams, including details of facilities, parking, lifeguards, dog bans and more, see:
www.goodbeachguide.co.uk
www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk
www.venuscompany.co.uk

Outdoor activities

Where to start? Even a two-week holiday isn’t long enough to sample all the exciting activities on offer in South Devon. So here are some suggestions to get you started…

On the water

Day trips by steam train, river boat or bus
Explore the River Dart by colourful canoe
Ride the waves at Bigbury or Bantham
Learn to sail at Salcombe
Go fishing aboard the African Queen

On land

Go rock-climbing or caving
Climb aboard the sea tractor to Burgh Island
Watch the birds at Slapton nature reserve
Enjoy horse-riding at Dittiscombe

For all the family

Be adventurous in the River Dart Country Park
Enjoy a tour and lunch at Riverford farm
Jump on the Round Robin trip from Totnes or Dartmouth
Search for Devon treasure!
Take a rock pool ramble at Wembury

Hire a bike from Natural Discovery, Devon Cylce Hire or Hot Pursuit Cylcles Ltd and see Devon at a slower pace...