Bigbury Beach — Attraction in South Hams

BRING CHANGE FOR PARKING IT IS £12 FOR ALL DAY AND YOU CAN'T USE THE RINGO APP AS THERE IS NO SIGNAL WHEN YOUR THERE. Brilliant beach absolutely loved it. Came here on 2 separate days with 4 family's 10 adults 12 kids from 2 years to 14 years. On the First day it was dead calm and we swam and snorkelled. On the second day which was much much bigger surf we bodyboarded which was brilliant. there is a really good amount of life guards in the water on the beach and in the watch tower near the cafe so as safe as the sea can be. The current can be substantial so always listen to the life guards and stay between the flags. thankfully the surf is really good for the kids as it was breaking in the shallows so kids only needed to be in about 3 feet of water to catch a wave and the little ones are happy paddling as that was quite lively to. The cafe is a bit pricey but food is good especially the strawberry milkshakes 👌👍there is a small shop selling wetsuits and other bits and bobs. and there is a pub on the island. this is cut off though at High tide which is a pretty good excuse to stay for a few more although there is a weird high rise 4x4 water taxi that can still go back and forth at high tide. there is surfboard higher which isn't extortionate and the rock pools near the island are full of crabs and starfish ect. (just lift the seaweed and you'll find them) speaking of seaweed there can be a lot floating in the water so if things touching your leg give you the creeps maybe stay out the water. the sand is perfect for sand castles and there is a little shower at the top near the car Park to make sure most of it stays at the beach. If the surf isn't to big at bigbury and you want to surf/bodyboard then try Bantham beach a bit further round the bay but be warned as we thankfully were by the guys at triocean surf that when the surf is big Bantham can have a real nasty rip that takes you towards the rocks on the left and where the river meets the sea this can create a current that take you out to sea so not a good place for kids, novices or weak swimmers. Also the locals will probably not like you getting in there way especially at weekends when there trying to get there surf on. All in all bigbury is much better...

This is my favourite beach on the south coast. Something for everyone. Lovely sandy beach so great for making sandcastles with the kids. Sea comes in round an island so there are 2 tide lines that leave a channel of sand exposed down the middle. When tide is completely in you have the excitement of watching/riding on the trundle truck that carries people safely through the water to the island. Gentle slope into the sea so water is shallow for a reasonable distance with no sharp drops. Again good for being in the water with kids. Lovely walk round the headland of the island giving beautiful views. Island is home to famous hotel featured in Agathe Christie novels/films and a quaint pub. By the car park you have a beach/gift shop, cafe, clean toilets with disability access and place for surfing equipment hire and surfing classes if you're so inclined. Good beach and lots of space for water sports. Only down side is that there is a reasonably steep slope down to the beach from the car park so would make pushing a wheelchair/buggy weighed down with beach paraphinali tiring! Having said that there is a viewing point, bench and cafe all at car park level so if you fancy a cuppa with a great view but don't want the effort of walking down to the beach it's still...

Make sure to check tide times first, at high tide there is very little beach but don't let that put you off coming early as it can get very busy especially in the summer months.

Be aware that on the west side of the causeway dogs are allowed all year round and we saw plenty of owners letting there dogs defficate and them just burying it ofcourse this comes down to owners more than the dogs but something to be mindful of if you plan to be that side of the beach.

Plenty of facilities on site from the shop, cafe, toilets water sport hire such as kyacks and paddle boards. Bins got extremely full and people just seemed to be dumping rubbish with how much the car park costs they could do with pumping some more money into the infrastructure.

The beach itself was incredibly clean on the whole and the water lovely and see through not murky at all I think the beach comes under a 3 star bathing quality rating so is very safe to swim in.

When the tide is in you can use the sea tractor to get across to the island updated times are posted down on the causeway.

Overall a very lovely beach for everyone to enjoy just remember it can get very busy, parking is quite expensive and be mindful of that one side of the beach where the dogs are especially if your not...