Short answer: Shaldon sits on the sheltered estuary side, which makes it noticeably calmer than the open coast when the weather comes in. The ferry is the thing that stops — it is seasonal, so the road bridge becomes the way across in winter.
Teignmouth faces the open sea; Shaldon sits round the corner on the estuary. That difference is small on a map and large in a January gale. When the seafront opposite is being blasted, the Shaldon side is comparatively calm, and that is the reason to cross in winter.
The passenger ferry is seasonal and weather and tide dependent, so in winter the road bridge is the way between the two. It is walkable. Check before planning a crossing in November rather than arriving at an empty slipway.
Still open, still through the Smugglers' Tunnel, and dogs are allowed all year. There are no facilities on the beach at any time of year, which matters more in February. It will usually be empty, which is the compensation.
It still works. Fewer crabs and colder hands, but the beach is yours. Take gloves and a flask and treat it as a twenty-minute thing rather than an afternoon.
The RSPB reserve along the coast is a working farm as well — dogs on leads. Winter is good for birds of prey over the fields, and dolphins are seen offshore at any time of year if you are patient and lucky.
Shaldon is a small village that stays lived in. Out of season you get the green, the estuary and the pubs without the summer crowds, and the shelter means you can actually sit outside on a bright cold day.
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