Real, curated ideas for Woolacombe's three miles of sand, the Mortehoe headland, dog-friendly spots and places to eat — filtered by who's actually with you.
Woolacombe is three miles of west-facing sand with a small village sitting above the northern end of it. That beach is why almost everyone comes, and it earns the reputation — it is wide enough that even in August the far end feels empty, and the surf is consistent enough that the beach has been a learn-to-surf spot for decades. What catches people out is the scale: walking from the village to the Putsborough end and back is a genuine two-hour outing, not a stroll.
The village itself is compact — a couple of streets of cafés, surf shops and pubs — and it fills up fast. The car parks along the front and above the beach are the pinch point on any sunny day, and they are all paid. If you are arriving after ten in high season, plan for the walk in rather than the space you were hoping for.
The half of Woolacombe people miss is Mortehoe, the older village up on the headland a mile north. It has the museum, two pubs, the cream teas, and the walk out to Morte Point, where seals sit on the rocks below for most of the year. It is also the answer when the beach is too windy, too crowded, or too wet — which, this being north Devon, it sometimes is.
Listings last checked: September 2026
Three miles of west-facing sand, wide enough that it rarely feels full even when the car parks are. RNLI lifeguards patrol in season, and the dog rules are signed by zone — no dogs, on-lead and off-lead sections are marked separately, with the stream by the village as the dividing line. Food trucks and beach huts sit at the village end; the far end towards Putsborough is where the space is.
The small shell cove just north of the main beach, tucked in below the road and much more sheltered. Rock formations at either end make it the best rock-pooling spot within walking distance of the village, and the beach café here serves curries into the evening in season. Parking is roadside on the esplanade above and goes early.
The southern end of the same three-mile stretch, reached by a separate set of narrow lanes via Croyde rather than from Woolacombe village. Firmer sand, noticeably quieter, with a café, shop and its own car park at the top. The lanes down are single-track and tight — worth knowing before you commit in a big car.
A small rocky cove between Woolacombe and Mortehoe, reached by steps down from the coast road. Pebbles, driftwood and good rock pools rather than sand, and the footing is uneven enough that it suits older children better than toddlers. Roadside parking on the road running parallel, if you can find it.
The wild one, below the cliffs north of Mortehoe with the remains of a wreck on the sand at low tide. It is a walk from the Mortehoe car park and the descent is steep — the steps down have been closed at times, so check before you count on getting to the sand rather than just the viewpoint above it. Tide turns fast here.
The headland walk out from Mortehoe, and the highest-rated thing to do in the area for good reason. A loop out to the point and back is manageable with primary-age children, with benches at intervals, and there is a seal colony on the rocks below the point for much of the year. The rock is sharp underfoot — proper shoes, not sandals.
About a mile and a half each way from the Mortehoe car park on a track rather than a cliff path, which makes it one of the few headland walks here that works with a pram. Access is on foot only. The views across the headland are the point; the lighthouse buildings themselves are private.
A small, genuinely good village museum on two floors — local history, shipwrecks and wartime material upstairs, gift shop below, with a garden you can picnic in. Free to enter with a donation box. Half an hour rather than an afternoon, but it is the obvious wet-weather stop if you are up at Mortehoe.
Crazy golf, small children's rides, ice cream and slushies in the middle of the village. Dated in a way that is part of the charm, and the crazy golf is the bit people come back for. Handy as the thing you promise the children when the beach plan collapses in the rain.
Small aquarium on Ilfracombe harbour laid out as a journey from moorland stream to open sea, with every species native to Britain. It is genuinely small — most people are through in under an hour — but the staff are the reason it rates well, and it is a solid rainy-afternoon option twenty minutes up the coast.
A Victorian castle turned family attraction between Ilfracombe and Combe Martin — walk-through castle rooms, a gnome village, water gardens, a maze, old arcade machines and a toboggan run. Firmly aimed at under-tens and very good at it. Budget most of a day; the annual pass pays for itself over a week's holiday.
The big wet-weather insurance policy for north Devon, down past Bideford. Animal shows, indoor play, a rollercoaster and lamb feeding in spring. Check the opening days before you drive — it runs a reduced timetable outside school holidays and is closed some weekdays.
The village's coffee benchmark, and open from eight, which matters if you have small children awake at six. Breakfast bowls and rolls alongside the cake counter, dairy alternatives, and a serving hatch so you can order without coming in. Reasonably priced for a beach village in August.
The one everyone tells you about: a tiny café on Barricane cove that serves Sri Lankan curries on the beach in the evening through the season, eaten sitting on the sand. Lunch is sandwiches and ciabattas and is good in its own right. Take cash-free expectations and patience — the queue is part of it.
Small café on Marine Drive with the best sit-down view of the bay in Woolacombe — outdoor tables looking straight down the length of the beach. Home-made cakes, sandwiches and scotch eggs, plus local ales and ciders. Seating is limited and the outdoor tables sit close to the road.
The highest-rated place to eat in the village, if from a smaller number of reviews than the pubs. Breakfast and brunch done properly — full English, avocado on sourdough, pancakes — and burgers later in the day. Explicitly dog-friendly, and roomy enough that they will take a pram without a fuss.
Farmhouse tearoom in Mortehoe and the cream tea of choice up on the headland — home-made scones, generous cream, and cake by the slab. The obvious stop at the end of the Morte Point loop. Opening days vary out of season, so ring ahead rather than trusting the listing.
All-day place in the village doing breakfast through to evening — fish platters, pizzas, cream teas — with a long menu that covers gluten-free and vegan properly rather than as an afterthought. Dogs welcome. Busy and functional rather than special, but it is open when other places are not.
The proper dinner in Woolacombe — seafood, lobster and steak done with real care, and the service is a step above anything else in the village. This is the evening-out option rather than the after-the-beach one. Book: it fills, and turning up on spec in season generally does not work.
The Jubilee Inn, set back off the front on South Street, and the best-rated pub in the village by a clear margin. Family-run, dogs inside, big portions and enough indoor and outdoor seating to absorb a wet afternoon. The one locals point you to once the day-trippers have gone.
Beach Road pub with an outdoor deck facing the sea, which is where you want to be. Known locally for the Sunday roast — a proper choice of joints, and worth booking, because the kitchen restricts the menu and fills up. Closed some days out of season.
The big surf-shack pub above the beach, and the busiest place in Woolacombe on a summer evening. Beer garden with a view down the bay, ordering by QR code at the table, fish and chips and burgers. Loud and lively rather than quiet — but it takes dogs, takes families, and takes a crowd.
Village pub with a sheltered beer garden that catches the sun, and — the useful part — one of the few places in Woolacombe that stays open through the winter. Dog-friendly, small car park at the rear, live music some nights.
Mortehoe's village pub, a few doors from the museum and the obvious lunch stop before or after Morte Point. Straightforward pub food, good outdoor seating, and staff with a genuine reputation for handling allergies carefully rather than waving them off.
The other Mortehoe pub, opposite the Chichester, and the one to pick on a Sunday — the carvery is what it is known for. Dark-wood traditional inside, garden with a distant sea view, dogs made a fuss of. Closed Mondays for much of the year.