Short answer: Park at the Back Beach rather than the expensive seafront, take the ferry to Shaldon instead of driving round, and watch the trains from the sea wall for nothing. The Smugglers' Tunnel and Ness Cove cost only the parking at the top.
Seafront parking runs to around £4.60 for two hours, and locals say openly that it has changed how often they visit. Getting this decision right is most of the budget. Park at the Back Beach on the estuary side instead — larger, better placed than it looks, and the town centre is a short walk away.
Brunel's railway runs along the back of the beach and the sea wall walk is genuinely one of the better free things on this coast — cargo ships passing offshore, trains coming through a few feet away, and in a swell the waves breaking over the wall. The Den promenade is level, well kept and good for mobility scooters, with a skate park and children's play area on it.
This is the trick. Shaldon is directly across the river and the passenger ferry runs from the Back Beach. Driving round means going up to the bridge and paying to park again at the other end. Walk on instead and you get the village, the beach, the rock pools and the quay to crab from without a second parking charge.
Ness Cove is reached through the Smugglers' Tunnel cut down through the cliff at Shaldon — the tunnel itself is the highlight and it costs nothing. Two car parks and toilets at the top if you have driven, around £5 for four hours. Red sand and stones, big clam shells, dog friendly all year. Not buggy or wheelchair accessible.
Brunch on Triangle Place does the best breakfast in town with a separate gluten-free menu, dog friendly, and closes at three. The Friendly Fork Kitchen on the Back Beach does crab sandwiches, burgers and pizza you can eat out on the sand. Ye Olde Jolly Sailor, the oldest pub in town, does fish and chips and Sunday roasts at fair prices.
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