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

Short answer: Rapparee Cove just east of the harbour has plenty of rocks and pools and is the easiest. Lee Bay, three miles west, has excellent pools and unusual geology. The best of the lot is Combe Martin, ten minutes east, which transforms at low tide.

Cliffs and coves rather than sand

Ilfracombe's coast is cliffs and small coves, which is a disadvantage if you want a beach day and an advantage if you want rock pools. There is more life in the water round here than on any of the big sand beaches west of it.

Rapparee Cove

The sheltered cove just east of the harbour, reached off the coast path. Stepped entry into the water, and reviewers describe plenty of rocks to climb and rock pools to explore. It is the closest good pooling to the town centre and much quieter than the harbour.

Lee Bay

Three miles west and the best of the Ilfracombe coves. A secluded rocky bay reached through fields or on the coast path, with excellent rock pools and unusual geology — reviewers mention very interesting stones and little secluded cubby holes to explore. Almost nobody is ever there.

It is a walk in rather than a park-and-flop beach, and there are no facilities. That is the trade for having it to yourself.

Combe Martin is the best of all

Ten minutes east and worth the drive. Combe Martin's bay is small and tidal, and reviewers describe it transforming as the tide recedes into what one calls an explorer's paradise. It is arguably the best rock-pooling beach on this stretch of coast for children.

Park at Kiln car park, which has toilets and a short path straight down. There is a beachfront pub, cafés and an ice cream shop right there — and the Harbour Café, the highest-rated café on this coast, is a minute away.

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.

If the weather turns

Ilfracombe Aquarium on the quay is laid out as a journey from moorland stream down to open sea with every species native to Britain — a good way to identify what you found earlier. Closed Fridays.