Best Sunset Spots in Teignmouth

Short answer: Teignmouth's seafront faces east and gets the sunrise. The Back Beach on the estuary side faces west up the Teign, which is where the evening light is. Across the ferry, Shaldon and the Ness give you the same view from the other bank.

Two waterfronts, and one of them faces the sunset

This is the useful thing about Teignmouth having two shorelines. The seafront looks east across the open sea — that is the sunrise side, and watching the sun come up behind the trains on the sea wall is genuinely worth setting an alarm for.

The Back Beach, round on the estuary side, looks west up the Teign towards the bridge and the hills beyond. That is where the sunset is, and it is quieter than the front.

The Back Beach

Working boats hauled up on the sand, the docks alongside, the estuary catching the light and the hills behind. Reviewers describe it as a place to pitch a chair and watch the world go by, with something always happening. The car park is larger and cheaper than the seafront.

Food shacks and two old pubs are a few steps away, so you can watch with something in your hand.

Across at Shaldon

The ferry from the Back Beach puts you on the far bank looking back up the estuary — the same sunset, different angle, and a prettier village to be standing in. Shaldon Beach is small and relaxed with cafés and pubs right behind it.

The Ness, up on the headland by the tunnel entrance, has the best view in Shaldon looking across to Teignmouth, with a big beer garden. Reviewers call the outlook mesmerising.

The Ferry Boat Inn

On the Strand at Shaldon by the ferry slip, with an outdoor grill at weekends and the ability to take food and drink onto the beach. For a sunset with burgers on the sand, it is the pick.

On the seafront side

If you are staying on the Teignmouth front, The View at the Pavilions has upper-deck seating with the best sea view on that side, and Halulu on the promenade has a patio and stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. You will not get the sun going down, but you get the afterglow on the water.

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.