Short answer: Three miles of flat sand with the dog zoning lifted, and surfers out on the water whatever the date. Captain Jacks is one of the very few places open right through the winter here.
Woolacombe Sands end to end is about three miles on hard sand at low tide, and on 1 January it does the job better than anything else on this coast — flat, bracing, and empty by mid-morning standards.
Check the tide. At high water the sand narrows and the walk becomes considerably less pleasant.
Woolacombe has a surf community that is in the water year-round, so you will not be the only one. The beach is lifeguarded in season but not on 1 January, which changes the calculation.
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.
Mortehoe and Morte Point give you height and a view along the coast, with grey seals in the water below. It is a climb out of the village, but it is more sheltered than standing on open sand in a westerly.
Quiet, and you will park first time. The machines still want coins.
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