Short answer: Two miles of flat sand facing the open Atlantic, and on Boxing Day you will have most of it. The Pier House is glass-fronted with window tables looking straight out to sea.
The beach, and it is the reason to come. Two miles of flat sand with nothing between it and the horizon. In a Boxing Day swell the Atlantic puts on a considerably better show than it does in July.
End to end and back is a proper walk on hard sand, with the pebble ridge behind you. Keep well back from the water if there is swell running — this is an exposed beach and the waves are not evenly sized.
Across the estuary, a huge open space behind the pebble ridge with a visitor centre. Parts of the car park flood at high tide, so read the signs.
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.
A flat £8 for the day whatever the season and however long you stay — which on Boxing Day argues for making an afternoon of it rather than a quick stop. Northam Burrows costs about the same and gives you more.
Hard going in daylight and worse in the wet. If you are heading for the beach from the Burrows side, cross it before the light goes.
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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