Peppercombe - a Devon beach you have to walk to

Here's a beach trip for a day when the walk is part of the fun...




This one won't offer you miles of sand, and there are no icecream stalls, but then there aren't many people either (and you can always get an icecream - or a pint- at the pub on the way back).








Start your walk at Horn's Cross, on the A39 between Bideford and Buck's Cross. You can get the 315 stagecoach bus from Winkleigh to Bideford, then the 319 service to Horn's Cross. Or you can drive. If driving, park considerately - this is a small hamlet. You can park at the pub if you're a customer.

You'll be heading off past the pub anyway, down to the beach through Peppercombe, owned by the National Trust. Where the track forks just past the pub, stay left (not through the 5 bar gate) and follow the path. In spring it's alive with wild garlic, wood anemones, primroses and celandines. Later in the year you'll find red campion and other woodland plants and butterflies.

The path takes you alongside a stream, past a couple of quaint little cottages, then across a field, down another wooded section and so to the beach. It's about half a mile, and well signed at every turn.

The island you see on the horizon is Lundy, also part of the North Devon Biosphere Reserve.

The beach itself is stony, except for patches of sand at low water, so this is a walk and picnic lunch rather than a bucket and spade excercise. When you've had enough of building encampments with the cobbles, you can wander north east along the beach until you find a bit were the cliffs dip down and a brick-built dam holds back a small pond. From here you can pick up the coast path back up the other side of the combe. You'll take a narrow, sometimes very muddy path along the top of the cliffs this time, coming out about half way up the combe. When you reach the main track turn left and head up hill.





If you don't want to retrace your steps, keep left where the track forks and you'll walk back to the start point along the other side of the combe.

Horn's Cross is about 25 miles from your self catering accommodation - but you can also get the bus direct from Winkleigh to Bideford, then get the 319 service to Horn's Cross. Get a day rider ticket for North Devon that lets you get on and off stagecoach buses all day.

Feeling more energetic? Peppercombe is also the start of a lovely 2-3 hour one-way walk along the south west coast path to Westward Ho!. Get the 319 bus from Bideford to Horn's Cross, then walk from Peppercombe to Westward Ho!, pick up the local (very frequent) First service bus back to Bideford. You can do the whole thing without your car from the bus stop at Winkleigh.

Westward Ho! and Northam Burrows

The huge beach at Northam Burrows Country Park, near Westward Ho! is about 40 mins drive away. It can be almost empty outside peak season, and even in August there's plenty of room.





This picture was taken in October - you can see the miles of sand at low tide. Parking is easy - there's a car park (small charge in the sumer). At the far end of the car park there is a really worthwhile interpretation centre / shop as well as public loos.

Even in August there's plenty of room, though you'll have to share a bit...

Westward Ho! takes its name from the Charles Kingsley novel - ie the novel came first!

Northam Burrows is famous for it's pebble ridge made of rounded cobbles cast up by the sea. If you're there in May, you may catch the 'Pot Walloping Festival' where locals gather to throw the previous winter's dislodged cobbles back up onto the ridge. Traditionally, this protects their grazing rights.

Walking the South West Coast Path
The first mile or so of the South West Coast Path, from Westward Ho! to Cornborough Cliff, has been made an easy - access level path. Beyond that it's more challenging. If you are sure of foot there's a great walk from Horn's Cross (off the A39) back to Westward Ho! that you can do as a one way walk if you take the bus out. Rudyard Kipling spent several of his childhood years at Westward Ho!, and scenes from Stalky and Co. were written about this coastline, which he knew from attending the United Services College here.

Getting there
Northam Burrows and Westward Ho! are about 23 miles from our cottage and ecolodges. Take the A386 (or the bus) to Bideford...

Driving: - as you go through Bideford, look out for the signs to Appledore and Northam Burrows, rather than Westward Ho! There's a smallish turning on the right - it's signed. Follow signs for Northam Burrows Country Park.

Bus: Well,it's not seamless, but it's doable. Get the 315 service to Bideford and change on the Quay to The First 1 service for Northam and Appledore. There's a bus on the golf links road and you walk down through the Country Park from there. It adds a bit of exercise, so not necessarily a good option for young children or anyone carrying loads of beach gear.

There may be events or walks organised for the Country park. Check out our diary pages for details.

Beaches and a canal at Bude

Bude offers some of the closest beaches to us. You can enjoy the sand, go surfing or pick up the South West Coast path for a lovely walk. It's just over the border in Cornwall, but they won't ask for your passport...






If you drive to Bude you'll probably end up at Summerleaze Beach, the closest to the town. There's level access from Summerleaze car park. At low tide you can also get here from the Canal. There's lots of sand when the tide is out, but take care swimming near the sailing channels into the Canal. You might prefer the sea-washed swimming pool near the cliffs. Crooklets is the other town beach, also popular with surfers. (No dogs allowed on Crooklets beach between Easter and 1st October).




At Widemouth Bay, (turning off the A39 a mile or two south of Bude) there is a large beach with over 2 miles of sand at low tide. Good for families and surfers - plenty of room for all. Dogs are allowed on the southern part all year.

Bude Canal
A canal joins the sea at Bude. It was built to transport sea sand, rich in lime, to farms inland. The lock gates near the sea suffered storm damage in 1997 but have now been repaired (and if you wonder whether rebuilding the gates in such fabulous-looking hardwood was really sustainable, it's because the gates are 'listed', and English Heritage insisted they be replaced by green oak). You can walk or ride along the tow path to Helebridge, passing a nature reserve on the way. Just across the A39 at Helebridge you can see the old wharf area and restored barge workshop. There's also a picnic site here. There's more information about the canal here.

Cliff top walks
Alternatively, walk along the cliffs from Bude for spectacular views on the South West Coast Path. You're standing on 300 million years of geological history!

Bude is about 30 miles from our cottage and ecolodges.

If you want to see more, check out the Bude webcams.