Short answer: Paignton is flat, which on 1 January with a mixed-age group settles the argument. A level promenade runs the whole seafront, the pier is free to walk onto, and Fairy Cove takes dogs all year.
The promenade, end to end along the Esplanade, level throughout with the bay beside you. It works with a buggy, a wheelchair, or a grandparent in ordinary shoes — which on New Year's Day is usually the deciding factor.
Preston Sands at the northern end is quieter, and Fairy Cove behind the harbour is shaded with rock pools and dog friendly every day of the year.
Paignton Sands is long, flat and reddish, with a gentle shelve — a kinder entry than most. Torbay is sheltered compared with the open coast. No lifeguards on 1 January.
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.
Free to walk onto, with an arcade at the end. Not a day out, but a dry half hour that costs only what you put in the machines — worth ringing to check it opens.
Paignton has a mainline station a short level walk from the seafront, though New Year's Day services are reduced.
See the full Paignton guide, filtered by who's with you.
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