Best Sunset Spots in Ilfracombe

Short answer: Ilfracombe faces north across the Bristol Channel, so the sun sets along the coast to your left rather than straight out to sea. The high ground above the harbour and the coast path west towards Lee Bay give you the clear western horizon.

Ilfracombe faces the wrong way, sort of

Worth understanding before you pick a spot. Ilfracombe's harbour opens north across the Bristol Channel towards Wales, not west into the Atlantic. That means the sun does not set in front of you the way it does at Woolacombe — it goes down along the coast to the west, off to your left as you look out from the harbour.

So the trick here is height and a westward view, rather than simply facing the sea.

The chapel on the hill

The high ground above the harbour is the easiest good option. Reviewers mention the walk up to the little church with breathtaking views across the bay — get above the town and you have an open western horizon down the coast, with the harbour lit below you.

The coast path west

Walk west out of town along the coast path and the view opens out properly towards Lee Bay and the headlands beyond. This is where you get an unobstructed sunset, and it is a short walk rather than an expedition — though it is unlit, so take a torch for the return.

Lee Bay

Three miles west and the best of it if you are prepared to make an evening of it. A secluded rocky bay reached through fields or on the coast path, described by visitors as quiet, awesome and other-worldly. West-facing, and you will almost certainly have it to yourself.

No facilities and no lighting. Go knowing that, or go earlier and walk back before dark.

The harbour after dark

Do not dismiss it. The sunset itself may be off to one side, but the harbour with Verity on the pier, the boats and the lights coming on is the best evening view in the town — and it is thirty seconds from somewhere to eat.

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 Lime Kiln has the best sit-down view in town and is open late Tuesday to Sunday. Blacksands has an outdoor terrace and is the highest-rated food in Ilfracombe — closed Tuesdays.