Short answer: Beer sits in a gap in the white chalk cliffs, so the bay is sheltered. The Anchor Inn has the best view in the village from the cliff above the beach, and the Hooken undercliff is one of the strangest walks in Devon.
Between Beer Head and Branscombe — a landslip of dramatic chalk pinnacles, and one of the strangest walks in Devon. Partly sheltered by the cliff structure itself, which helps on a raw January morning.
Sheltered shingle at the foot of white chalk cliffs, with fishing boats winched up on it. The walk down from the village is short but genuinely steep.
Beer Head Bistro up at the caravan park has easy parking and a bay view, if the climb back up is the problem.
The bay is sheltered by the cliffs on both sides, which makes it one of the kinder entries on this coast — though it is shingle, so footwear helps.
New Year's Day swims on this coast are organised by lifeboat crews, surf clubs and pubs rather than councils, and most are announced in the last fortnight of December on local Facebook pages. Check there rather than expecting a listing.
If you are getting in: the sea is colder on 1 January than at any point in the summer, cold water shock is the real risk rather than the temperature itself, and it is worth going in with people rather than alone. Walk in, do not dive, and get warm clothes on quickly afterwards.
Almost everywhere opens later than usual on New Year's Day, and some places do not open at all. Ring in the morning rather than assuming.
Beer is a working fishing village, so boats are still winched up onto the shingle in January and the catch is sold from a stall on the beach. That happens in most weather and it is the best free thing here.
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