Rock Pooling Near Croyde for Kids: The Best Spots and the Tide

Short answer: Croyde Beach has rock pools at one end and the tide goes a long way out, which exposes far more than you would expect. Putsborough's cliff end is better still. At low tide the crevices along towards Baggy Point are worth exploring with older children.

The tide does the work here

Croyde's tide goes out a very long way, and that is the single most useful thing to know. At low water the beach roughly doubles and a great deal of rock that is underwater at lunchtime is walkable by mid-afternoon. Get the timing right and Croyde is far better for this than it first looks.

Croyde Beach

There are rock pools at one end of the bay, and reviewers describe them as always interesting to explore. It is the convenient option — you are already on the beach, the car park is there, and if it stops being interesting the sand is right behind you.

Putsborough

The better spot. Putsborough is the southern end of the Woolacombe sands, reached through the lanes north of Croyde, and there is rock pooling at the far left of the beach against the cliff face. One reviewer describes lots of rock pooling opportunity there and their daughter loving it.

Its own car park, café and shop. The lanes down are single-track and genuinely tight, so take that seriously in a large car.

Towards Baggy Point

At low tide the crevices along the shore towards Baggy Point are explorable, and reviewers mention interesting rock formations along the way. This is scrambling rather than pool-dipping and it suits older children — but it is the most interesting geology in the area.

Timing

Rock pooling only works on a falling tide. Aim to arrive about two hours before low water and work outwards as the sea drops — that way the pools furthest out, which nobody has disturbed, are the ones you reach last. Check the tide table before you set off rather than guessing.

What to take

• A clear plastic tub rather than a net — you can see into it and it does not damage anything.
• Beach shoes or old trainers. Barefoot on wet rock ends badly.
• A small net is fine for shrimp, but hands and patience catch more.
• Something to sit on. The best pools reward waiting rather than poking.
• Sun cream even in cloud — you will be out on open rock for an hour.

The rules

• Put every rock back exactly as you found it. That is somebody's roof.
• Look, do not lift. Anemones and limpets come off badly.
• Return everything to the pool you took it from, not a different one.
• Never turn your back on the sea, and know when the tide turns.
• Beadlet anemones can sting soft skin — fine on fingertips, not on the inside of an arm.

Afterwards

Cafe Croyde Bay above the bay is dog friendly with generous all-day breakfasts and its own parking. The Beach Cafe and Sunset Bar at Downend has the best clifftop seat in Croyde. Both are a short drive from Putsborough rather than a walk.