Saunton Sands, Braunton, North Devon
Saunton Sands is a 3.5 mile long sandy beach on the North Devon Coast a stone’s throw from the quiet village of Braunton. People love it here – families, nature lovers, surfers, and although it’s quite a draw, it never seems to get crowded. Find your spot, get yourselves settled and enjoy a day by the sea, making of it what you will. Buy buckets and spades from the shop and make sandcastles with the kids, roll up your trouser legs and have a paddle, or if you’ve got your bathing suit, go for a swim. Hire a beach hut or deckchairs and idle away the hours, have a picnic – all those timeless traditions are alive and kicking here and what’s good is that it’s there for everyone; the concrete slipway slopes gently for easier access and you can hire all-terrain wheelchairs from the beach shop, that can even be used in the shallower areas of the sea.
If walking’s your thing, pack your boots because you can stroll out to Crow Point, part of the Braunton Burrows nature reserve, where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet and the views are staggering. Have a wander round the Burrows, one of the biggest sand dune systems in the whole of the UK and a rare designated UNESCO Biosphere reserve.
Just along the road in Braunton there are cafes and pubs where you can have lunch or wind up for an early dinner after your day on the beach.
Dogs are welcome on the beach at Saunton Sands all year.
All information correct at the time of writing