Boxing Day in Combe Martin: A Sheltered Bay to Walk

Short answer: The bay is small and sheltered between high cliffs, which makes it usable on a day when Woolacombe and Croyde are being blasted. Three pubs and the best-rated café on this coast are all in the village.

What is open regardless

The bay, free and sheltered. Tucked between high cliffs, it stays comfortable in weather that makes the open coast unpleasant — which on a random Boxing Day is worth planning around.

The Boxing Day walk

The bay and the rock pools

At low tide this becomes one of the best rock-pooling beaches in north Devon, and children who are already cold do not notice being colder. Check the tide before you come.

Little Hangman

A steep forty-five minute climb from the village to a summit with views across the Bristol Channel to Wales. Clear winter air gives the best visibility of the year — but it is exposed at the top, so judge the weather.

Where to eat

• The Harbour Cafe by the beach — the highest-rated café on this coast, with cooked breakfasts around the £9 mark.
• The Focsle Inn — the beachfront pub, much bigger inside than it looks.
• The Pack o' Cards Inn — a 17th-century building designed around a deck of cards, with thick old walls doing exactly what you want in December.
• The Castle Inn at the top of the village — a proper local.

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.

Park at the right end

Combe Martin runs about two miles down a valley to the sea — reputedly the longest village street in England. For the beach and the Focsle, aim for the bottom. Parking at the top means a long walk back up.

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.