Woolacombe is a seaside paradise in North Devon. It can be reached by leaving the M5 at junction 27, then following the A361 towards Ilfracombe. Pass through Braunton and then turn left at the Mullacott Cross to Woolacombe.
I have visited Woolacombe many times in the past thirty years ... Read review
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Woolacombe is a seaside paradise in North Devon. It can be reached by leaving the M5 at junction 27, then following the A361 towards Ilfracombe. Pass through Braunton and then turn left at the Mullacott Cross to Woolacombe.
I have visited Woolacombe many times in the past thirty years and have recently spent another enjoyable holiday there. The seaside, although a haven for water sports and surfing, is still a relatively quiet location, ... ...and drink.
Woolacombe is without doubt, the cleanest and most wonderful beach I have ever had the pleasure to sit on. The beach has won numerous awards, including the England for Excellence Gold Award and the Best British Beach for its cleanliness and golden sands, and facilities, and is a haven for surfers all year round, because of the waves rolling in from the Atlantic. The sands at Woolacombe stretch for an amazing three miles ... more
Woolacombe is a seaside paradise in North Devon. It can be reached by leaving the M5 at junction 27, then following the A361 towards Ilfracombe. Pass through Braunton and then turn left at the Mullacott Cross to Woolacombe.
I have visited Woolacombe many times in the past thirty years and have recently spent another enjoyable holiday there. The seaside, although a haven for water sports and surfing, is still a relatively quiet location, and is not overly commercialised. There are two shops on the main entrance to the beach, one a normal gift shop, selling a range of flip flops, beach equipment and clothing, and the other selling food and drink.
Woolacombe is without doubt, the cleanest and most wonderful beach I have ever had the pleasure to sit on. The beach has won numerous awards, including the England for Excellence Gold Award and the Best British Beach for its cleanliness and golden sands, and facilities, and is a haven for surfers all year round, because of the waves rolling in from the Atlantic. The sands at Woolacombe stretch for an amazing three miles and there are lifeguards on duty throughout the summer months.
Barricane Beach, which can be accessed by walking across the main beach at low tide, is a site of special scientific interest because of the tons of seashells in an amazing myriad of colours, which are washed onto the beach from the Caribbean. The rock pools along the beach are fantastic and are deep enough to swim in, although it was too cold when we visited. The sea life in these pools is amazing and my children spent hours with their nets, catching the crabs in the pools. We also spotted some massive jellyfish, which had been washed in with the tide onto the beach.
There are restrictions for walking dogs on the beaches and these are all clearly displayed at the entrances to the beaches.
The beach is run by Parkin Estates, who are continually cleaning the area, even removing the seaweed from the sands after high tide. There are two vans that sit on the main beach, which sell hot dogs, burgers, chips etc during the day, that are also run by Parkin Estates. The company cannot be praised enough for the work they do on the beach, and I have never visited it, and found rubbish or any debris along the sands.
There is an annual sandcastle competition held each year on the beach and this event draws people from miles around.
There are two main car parks near to the beach, Sandy Burrows and The Esplanade. These both cost £3.50 for the day, although Sandy Burrows closes at 6pm. The Esplanade is open later and after 5pm only costs £1 to park. However, there is also another car park further up, Marine Drive, which will give access to the quieter parts of the beach and the dunes. The dunes provide a wonderful play area for children and also are a great windbreak when sunbathing on the sands.
There are many gift shops in the village, and also many surf shops. Hunter is the main shop for the surfers and board sports, and stocks a wide variety of surfing gear and clothing, such as Billabong, Vans, O’Neill and Etnies, amongst others. Jack seemed to spend half his holiday and most of his money in this shop! There are also shops from which surfing and boarding equipment can be hired.
Woolacombe beach, as well as being a haven for surfers, also attracts kite boarders and wind surfers and in the early evenings there are many of these in the shallow waters and on the sands. My children were fascinated and spent hours watching the boards hurtling up and down the vast expanse of golden sand.
Beach huts are available on the main beach for hire for £55 per week. Each hut has 4 chairs, a windbreak and table, and can be hired from Parkin Estates on 01271 870234. Bookings can only be made on a weekly basis. As far as holiday accommodation goes in Woolacombe, the choice is massive. We stayed on one of the holiday parks in the village, but there are also many hotels to choose from.
There is also a nightclub in Woolacombe, quite a surprise for a small village but I suppose this caters for the surfers, who travel to Woolacombe from all over the country. There are also many shops selling ice creams, cream teas and the like, as well as a wonderful fish and chip shop, which we visited on oe occasion during our latest holiday.
Morte Point, the next village on, can be reached by following the coastal path from Woolacombe and the views from here are spectacular, and it is possible to see seals and dolphins from this point. Although we did not see any this time, I have seen seals on previous visits.
There is a surf school in Woolacombe called Surfseekers who run courses for novice surfers and also intermediates. The boards and wetsuits are provided. The school offer discounts for works outings, organisations and birthday parties and all instructors hold a Level 2 BSA certificate. What a novel idea. We actually saw lessons taking place while we were on the beach. The School can be contacted on 07977 924 588, by e-mail at surfseekers@hotmail.com or they have a website at www.northdevon.co.uk/surfseekers.
For details on hotels, guest houses, places of interest etc, please contact Woolacombe Tourist Information on 01271 870533. The Tourist Information shop is located near to The Esplanade car park, and has a wide variety of leaflets and information pertaining to Woolacombe and the surrounding area
Advantages: Great Site and location Disadvantages: Evening entertainment - no good
Stayed here earlier this year, with my two young children. Who loved the place. The caravan was basic, but adequate. It was clean, had all the things we needed, did'nt find the black out blinds on the bedrroms until the last night!!!!
The decking on the caravan was great, was able to sit out there and enjoy the view.
There was a double decker bus that ran around the sites, and Woolacombe, but did cost a few pounds.
The shop on site was well packed, and the shop keeper was friendly and always helpful - apart from being on duty 24hours a day.
The evening entertainment, was well worth missing, I have heard cats whale better.
The play park was good, plenty of toys to play on, but the ground surface needs some attention.
Check in was simple and easy. Parking for our carvan was down a grassy bank, ok in the dry. ...
Advantages: The area is good Disadvantages: Woolacombe Bay Parcs are a leftover from post war rubbish - not suitable for today
We booked a Saturday to Saturday touring caravan holiday on the Twitchen site to be told in unfriendly terms when we arrived that we had made a mistake and our pitch was booked Friday to Friday meaning we would have to move pitch for one night ( a major hassle) or leave early. The warden was rude and aggressive, the outdoor pool was frequently closed due to "leaves" which was a joke and the whole place had a run down, smelly and uncared for feel. They made an error in the cafe and charged a full meal price when we ordered a special from the board. The pools and changing rooms were not well cleaned. Later they apolgised and admitted that they had made a mistake in our booking but we lost a night and received no compensation. We shall never go there again. Woolacombe is a lovely place but avoid these Holiday Parcs if you want to have ...
Woolacombe is a village famous for its long sandy beach and beautiful countryside. It faces the Bristol Channel and has views of Lundy Island in the distance. Woolacombe is set against a striking landscape of cliffs and hills. This review covers the resort as a holiday destination, rather than focusing solely on the surf!
The name Woolacombe means Valley of the Wolves, but there aren't any here anymore! I'm writing about this because I've lived here for most of my life, and I want to share it with everyone.
* The (main) Beach *
The beach stretches for over 3 miles, and has been named as one of the top-ten in the world, with numerous awards for cleanliness and the Blue Flag. The beach can get crowded in the summer, especially towards the side occupied by ice-cream vans and donkey-rides.
If you want some peace, walk ...
