Best Sunset Spots in Dartmouth

Short answer: Dartmouth faces east down the river mouth, so the sun sets behind the town and up the Dart valley rather than over the sea. The high ground above the town and the upriver views are the spots. For a sea sunset, Blackpool Sands and the Start Bay coast face south-west.

The river mouth faces the wrong way

Be clear about this before you plan an evening. Dartmouth sits on a river running roughly north to south, with the mouth opening east to the sea. The sun sets behind the town and up the valley — not over the water in front of you.

That is not a disappointment so much as a different thing. The light going up the Dart on a still evening, with Kingswear catching the last of it on the far bank, is genuinely lovely — it is just not a horizon sunset.

Upriver

The Embankment and the quay looking north up the river are where the evening light works. The Floating Bridge, by the higher ferry a short walk out of the centre, is riverside and faces the right way — book, because it fills, and there are only three parking spaces outside.

Get above the town

Dartmouth's streets climb steeply and that is useful here. From the higher ground you get the western sky over the valley with the river below, which is the best of both. The walk up to the castle road gives a similar effect looking back.

For an actual sea sunset

Drive west. Blackpool Sands, fifteen minutes away, faces south-west and gets the evening light properly. Strete Gate, further round Start Bay, is a long pebble beach that faces the same way and is described by reviewers as so long that there is always space — it is empty in the evening.

Check for road closures before setting off, as storm damage has affected the through road at times.

Timing

Arrive half an hour before sunset and stay twenty minutes after it. The afterglow is usually better than the sunset itself, and almost everyone leaves the moment the sun touches the horizon — so the best light and the emptiest viewpoint arrive at the same time.

Practical

• Take a torch. Devon coast paths are unlit and the walk back is in the dark.
• Stay back from cliff edges. The ground gives way, and you cannot see where it starts.
• Check when the car park closes — several on this coast lock their gates.
• It gets cold fast once the sun goes, even in July. Take a layer.

Afterwards

The Cherub Inn is the oldest building in Dartmouth and the most characterful room in it, though it has about seven tables. The Royal Castle on the quay has window tables over the harbour. The Sail Loft has a wood burner upstairs and opens at three most days.