Short answer: Kingsbridge has the easiest parking in the South Hams — a long-stay car park right by the quay. Slapton Ley, twenty minutes away, has bird hides, which means shelter on a wet Boxing Day.
The quay and the embankment, free. Kingsbridge is the market town the whole South Hams runs through, so it has a pulse on Boxing Day that the coastal villages lack.
Twenty minutes away, the largest freshwater lake in the south west, with bird hides and waterside paths. Hides have roofs, which makes this one of the few outdoor things on this coast that works if the weather turns. Free parking at the memorial car park.
Level, with the estuary alongside. The estuary empties to mud twice a day, so the view changes depending when you come.
The southern end of Slapton Sands — a steep shingle beach with the Ley behind it, and properly dramatic in a winter sea.
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.
Start Point is three-quarters of a mile down an open tarmac track from the clifftop car park, with no shelter either way. Spectacular, but not a Boxing Day walk if the wind is up.
If you want to eat out, book now rather than in December. The places that do serve on Boxing Day fill weeks ahead, and the ones that do not take bookings have queues instead.
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