Short answer: The Back Beach on the estuary side is quieter and more interesting than the seafront, and the parking is cheaper. Across the river, Shaldon Beach is relaxed and Ness Cove through the Smugglers' Tunnel is quieter still.
Teignmouth has two waterfronts, and the crowds are almost entirely on one of them. The seafront has the sand, the pier and the promenade, and it is where day visitors go. The Back Beach, round on the estuary side, is where locals go — and it has a larger, cheaper car park.
Working boats hauled up on the sand, the docks operating alongside, food shacks and two old pubs a few steps away. Reviewers describe it as more rustic with far more character than the main beach, and one calls it a place to relax and watch the world go by.
It is also sheltered when the seafront is being blasted, which matters here more than most places.
Directly across the river and reached by the passenger ferry rather than a drive to the bridge and a second parking charge. Reviewers describe a much more laid back and chilled beach, quite small, great for watching the world go by with a drink from a local bar or café.
Strong estuary currents mean it is a paddling and crabbing beach rather than a swimming one — the quay is specifically good for crabbing.
The quietest of the lot, reached through the Smugglers' Tunnel cut down through the headland at Shaldon. Red sand and stones, big clam shells, cormorants offshore, and dog friendly all year. Reviewers describe it as a lovely quiet beach accessed via the tunnel.
Two car parks and toilets at the top, nothing on the beach itself, and it is not buggy or wheelchair accessible. Beach shoes are genuinely needed — the stones into the water are precarious.
RSPB Labrador Bay on the cliffs south of Shaldon is not a beach but is very quiet, with birds of prey, dolphins seen offshore and panoramic views over Torbay. Paid parking, and it is a working farm so dogs go on leads.
The general rule on this coast: ten minutes of walking removes ninety per cent of people. Almost every crowded Devon beach empties out within a short walk of the car park, because most visitors will not carry a windbreak further than they have to.
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