Short answer: Combe Martin's bay is small and framed by high cliffs, which makes a storm here more contained and more watchable than on the open beaches west of it. The Focsle Inn is right on the beachfront.
The frame. The bay is small and tucked between high cliffs, so a swell arriving here is concentrated rather than spread across miles of sand. It is a more contained spectacle, and a more sheltered place to stand.
The bottom of the village, with the cliffs either side. Stay off the wall itself.
The beachfront pub, much bigger inside than it looks, with tables on the harbour wall for calmer days and plenty of indoor space for the rest.
A steep forty-five minute climb to a summit looking across to Wales. Superb on a clear blustery day, and not somewhere to be in a named storm — the top is fully exposed.
A northwesterly funnelling into the bay on a high spring tide is what to wait for. Because the bay is small and framed by cliffs, a moderate swell here looks more dramatic than the same swell on an open beach.
The Harbour Cafe by the beach is the highest-rated café on this coast. The Pack o' Cards Inn is a 17th-century building designed around a deck of cards, with thick old walls that come into their own in weather.
The village runs about two miles down a valley to the sea. For the bay and the Focsle, aim for the bottom.
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