Short answer: Braunton Burrows is the largest dune system in England, free, and genuinely atmospheric when it is empty. Saunton Sands is ten minutes away, dog friendly all year, and the Williams Arms does a carvery every day in normal weeks.
Braunton Burrows and Saunton Sands, both free and both better empty. Braunton itself is a working village rather than a holiday one, so it does not have the shuttered feel of the beach villages in December.
Three miles of open sand, dog friendly every day of the year, and one of the best winter beach walks in the country. It faces west, so if you time it right you get the sunset too — and in late December that comes at a civilised hour.
The largest dune system in England and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with concrete D-Day training structures still standing in it. Vast, free, and quiet. It is also easy to lose your bearings once you are among the dunes, so keep track of where you came in.
The Tarka Trail runs through — paved, traffic-free and with no mud whatever the weather has done.
Ring before you set off. Boxing Day hours are decided late, change year to year, and are the single thing most likely to be wrong online. A two-minute call beats a wasted drive.
The Crow Point toll road takes £2.50 in coins at a barrier and closes at times. Do not plan a Boxing Day drive out there without checking it is open and without change in the car.
If you want to eat out, book now rather than in December. The pubs that do serve on Boxing Day fill weeks ahead, and the ones that do not take bookings have queues instead.
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