Short answer: Teignmouth's sea wall takes the full force with trains passing a few feet behind, and when it gets too much the Back Beach round on the estuary is comparatively calm. Two waterfronts, one of them a bolt-hole.
Because it gives you both halves of a storm. The seafront and sea wall take the weather head-on with the railway running behind, and the Back Beach on the estuary side stays comparatively sheltered when the front is unbearable.
That makes it a better bet than places with only one aspect — you are never more than a few minutes from somewhere calmer.
The level promenade, well back from the wall. Easy underfoot and good for mobility scooters.
Where the waves come over with the trains behind. Watch from set back — not from on top of the wall.
The estuary side, with working boats hauled up on the sand. The retreat when the front wins.
Much of Teignmouth pier is fenced off. Do not build a plan around standing on it in any weather, let alone a storm.
The front is at its most dramatic an hour either side of high water on a spring tide. The useful thing about Teignmouth is that you can check the seafront, decide it is too much, and be somewhere sheltered within five minutes.
Ye Olde Jolly Sailor is the oldest pub in town, a couple of minutes from the Back Beach. The View at the Pavilions has the best sea view of any café on the front and upper-deck seating, which is the dry way to watch.
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