The Wild Days guide
Hidden away around the corner from the popular Watermouth Castle, a hidden bay is keeping itself to itself. Broadsands Beach is what we would class as a hidden gem amongst all the busy tourist spots along the North Devon coastline.
One of the reasons that it remains one of the quietest places in heights of summer is because of it’s difficult location. There are over 200 steps down to the beach, no facilities whatsoever and little to no parking near the beach. If you have a 4×4 with high ground clearance, you might squeeze down the road at the top of the steps, however parking during busy times is at a premium and you could easily damage the underside of the car getting there. We would recommend parking at Watermouth Harbour and walking along the coast path, up through the campsite and into the woods. You’ll reach the steps about 50 meters into the woods.
The beach at high tide is minimal, you would have to wade to get to the small coves along the stretch. At low tide there is plenty of exploring. Climb up onto the rocks for a fantastic view over the bay and down to Combe Martin. The beach is made up of a mix of shingle and sand, enabling you to easily and unfortunately take home most of it in your under-garments, towels and bags.
You can access the water with small inflatable watercraft at the Watermouth Coast campsite easliy, however I would call ahead as the owner can give you a major headache and forbid you to use his jetty if you don’t ask for his personal permission. From there it’s a short paddle over to Broadsands. If you’re like us, you’ll have a row with the camp-site owner and end up carrying all your gear down 200+ steps, lesson learnt…. go to Broadsands first.
Weather forecast for Watermouth Bay
Be sure to check the weather prior to your trip. The bay is very well sheltered, except from Northern winds which hit the bay dead centre. If it’s blustery on the South Devon coast, this will be a perfect spot to relax.
Tide times at Broadsands Beach
If you find your self on the easterly side of this beach, before you know it the tide will cut you off from the steps. There is no other way out. Move along the beach during the incoming tide & keep an eye on your position. If you find yourself cut off, you can find shelter in the tall outcrop, there was once a sprung bed in there too!
