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

Short answer: Barricane is the best rock pooling within walking distance of Woolacombe village. Grunta, between Woolacombe and Mortehoe, has boulders and driftwood. Rockham below Mortehoe is the wildest, with anemones in the intertidal pools — check the step access before you go.

The main beach is sand, so go to the coves

Woolacombe's three miles of sand is superb for a lot of things and useless for rock pooling. The coves either side of it are where the life is, and all three are within a couple of miles of the village.

Barricane

The small shell cove just north of the main beach, sheltered below the road. The rock formations at either end are the best rock pooling within walking distance of the village, and it is known for shells as much as for what is living in the pools. Reviewers describe it as a great rock pool area for scrambling.

Parking is roadside on the esplanade above and goes early. There is a beach café on the sand if the morning runs long.

Grunta

Between Woolacombe and Mortehoe, reached by steps down from the coast road. Pebbles, driftwood and good pools rather than sand, and one reviewer describes it as a hidden gem with rock pools, shells and great views of the tide breaking on the rocks. The footing is uneven, so it suits older children better than toddlers.

Rockham

The wild one, below the cliffs north of Mortehoe, with the remains of a wreck on the sand at low tide. The intertidal pools have anemones in them — worth knowing, because reviewers specifically warn that these can sting soft tissue on legs and torso. Fingertips are fine; sitting down in a pool is not.

The descent is steep and the steps have been closed at times, so check before you count on getting down. The tide turns fast here too.

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.

What you will find

Shore crabs and hermit crabs in most pools, beadlet anemones stuck to the rock like red blobs, shrimp if you are patient, limpets and periwinkles everywhere, and blennies darting under ledges. Starfish occasionally in the deeper pools at the lowest tides.