Short answer: Ilfracombe copes with winter better than anywhere on this coast because it is a town, not a resort. The harbour is free, the chapel climb gives you the whole bay, and the Pier Tavern and Lime Kiln both stay open.
The harbour and the seafront, both free. Ilfracombe has the advantage of being a working town with people living in it, so Boxing Day here feels like a quiet day rather than a closed one.
St Nicholas Chapel above the harbour — a short but genuinely steep climb that puts the whole bay below you. Free, and the best twenty minutes in Ilfracombe on a clear morning.
The harbour front and seafront are flat the whole way, which makes this one of the few Boxing Day walks on this coast that works with a buggy or anyone who struggles with slopes.
Out to Hillsborough, the hill fort east of the harbour, or west along the coast path towards Lee Bay.
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 aquarium, the museum and the tunnels are all likely closed on the day itself — worth checking if you were planning an indoor hour.
Cheaper here than the surrounding villages all year, and in winter the all-day rate drops again. The harbour end is level and puts you where the view is.
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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