10 Great West Country Beaches
I wouldn’t put this up in summer - these beaches can get crowded. or some of them can - not all. But now autumn is arriving you might go to any of these and find yourself alone. Which would be wonderful….
Anyway, this is my shortlist of 10 Great West Country Beaches
If you enjoy this article you might also like Exploring the Lizard
Somewhere on the Isles of Scilly
Pedn Vounder:
My No1 favourite. Just thinking of its perfect rocks, sea and sand makes me want to jump in the car and drive the 160 miles it would take to reach this westerly spot. Pity it’s so distant in furthest West Penwith - and, be warned, the climb down requires you to hang on to a rope.
Hesp at Pedn Vounder, West Cornwall
Woolacombe:
The antithesis to Pedn Vounder. Easy-to-reach, huge, extremely popular… But the crowds don’t go there for nothing - fabulous sand and surf, this is England’s answer to California. And you can always escape the hordes by walking along the dunes to Baggy Point.
Woolacombe, beyond Morte Point, North Devon
Beer:
Not the booze but the wonderful old-fashioned cobble beach under the East Devon village of that name… Think: excellent tea-shops located in wooden beach huts, clinker-built motorboats you can hire, fishermen hauling their crab boats up on winches and local families who’ve been hanging out here for summertime decades.
Beach at Beer, East Devon
St Martins Bay, Isles of Scilly:
St Martins, Isles of Scilly
Simply the best, finest, white sand to be found anywhere in Europe. This is where the West Country turns into the Caribbean - the blue-green waters are so clear you can see that fine white sand 40 feet down when you are snorkelling. Remote. Beautiful. Unforgettable.
St Martins, Isles of Scilly
Doniford:
The opposite of the above. You can’t see a single inch through the waters on this Bristol Channel beach. It is not even very beautiful - at least, not in a classic way. But it is fascinating. Daniel Defoe thought so when he came here in 1724. He was amazed at the large fossils that he found dotted among the great natural stone pavements.
Doniford Beach, West Somerset
Maceley Cove:
If you adore distant, empty coves where a small horseshoe of sand is bordered by rocks and pools and a restless, crystal-clear sea, then Maceley Cove is for you. So wonderfully wild, picturesque and oddly foreign are the environs around the charming little village of East Prawle - that the area long ago ascended straight to the top of my list of favourite places.
Hesp above Maceley Cove, South Devon
Porthcothan:
One of the finest beaches on the North Cornish coast. Great sand and surf, with plenty of alluring rock-pools when the tide goes down. You might even recognise the place where Ross Poldark in the recent TV series forever galloped along the top of the cliffs.
Porthcothan, Cornwall
Lantic Bay:
Another small horseshoe of sand bordered by rocks and pools and crystal-clear sea classic… And like Maceley and so many other coves, a bit difficult to reach on foot from nearby Polruan. Which is why this one is so popular with boating beach-goers all summer long.
Lantic Bay, Cornwall
Portheras Cove:
Another West Penwith special. Portheras, tucked away under the Pendeen Watch Lighthouse, is a jewel among coves. A golden sand beach of near perfect proportions. A remote bit of rocky littoral that hangs in the mind like a beautiful dream. A fabulous, oceanic, ozone-filled dream…
Portheras Cove, Cornwall
Vault Beach:
On the Roseland Pensinsula in Cornwall, tucked away miles from nowhere somewhere between Mevagissy and Dodman Point. One of the true sandy jewels in the West Country crown. Watch out for nudists!
Vault Beach, Southern Cornwall
