Short answer: Westward Ho! empties in winter and the beach becomes the reason to come — two miles of flat sand facing the Atlantic, with storms rolling in. The Pier House and the Guillemot Bar both stay open with sea views.
Westward Ho! is a holiday village, so December strips it back to what it was built for: two miles of flat sand facing the open Atlantic. In winter you will have most of it, and the sea puts on a considerably better show than it does in July.
This coast takes the full weight of Atlantic weather. The enormous pebble ridge behind the beach is a bank of cobbles thrown up by the sea doing exactly that, and crossing it in a gale is a proper experience.
Keep well back from the water in a big swell — this is an exposed beach and the waves are not evenly sized.
Modest — this is a small village rather than a town. Bideford and Barnstaple, ten and twenty-five minutes away, are where the proper Christmas lights and shopping are.
2026 dates: switch-on evenings and market dates are confirmed by town councils and organisers through October and November, and they move year to year. Check the town council or chamber of commerce listing before travelling rather than relying on last year's date.
Parking is a flat £8 for the day whatever the season, so make a day of it rather than stopping for an hour. Northam Burrows across the estuary has a visitor centre and clean toilets.
Book Christmas and Boxing Day lunch in November. Devon's good pubs fill weeks ahead and the ones that do not take bookings have queues instead.
See the full Westward Ho guide, filtered by who's with you.
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