Short answer: Ilfracombe is a town rather than a resort, so more opens here on 1 January than anywhere on this coast. The chapel climb above the harbour is free and gives you the whole bay.
St Nicholas Chapel on the hill above the harbour — short, genuinely steep, free, and it puts the whole bay below you. The best twenty minutes in Ilfracombe on a clear morning.
If slopes are a problem, the harbour front and seafront are level the whole way, which is unusual on this coast.
Ilfracombe's harbour and the Tunnels Beaches give more shelter than the open beaches west of here, which matters on 1 January. The tidal Victorian bathing pool at Tunnels is the sheltered option, though check whether it is open out of season.
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.
Out to Hillsborough, the hill fort east of the harbour, or west along the coast path towards Lee Bay — empty most of the year and more so on 1 January.
Cheaper here than the surrounding villages all year, and the winter all-day rate is lower again. The harbour end is level.
See the full Ilfracombe guide, filtered by who's with you.
Plan your day near Ilfracombe →