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Devon is a year round wonder. In the summer, the roads are full of cyclists, the beaches are populated with children and sunbathers, walks are walked, trials are followed, and tea gardens open up to serve fabulous cream teas and english pastries.
From autumn through to spring however, a certain calm lays over the land. The beaches are wide expanses of open space with wonderful photograhy opportunities.
Since a lot of the coast is directly on the atlantic or at least affected by it, almost every beach offer good surfing opportunities. Westward Ho! or Bude, the two closest sandy beaches are often surfed, while Speaks Mill is a rocky shoreline but equally popuplar for more experienced surfers. A little further north lies Saunton with it's long waves or Croyde with it's slightly shorter, more dynamic waves and slightly stronger tides, but both of these bays - as with pretty much all other bays in the area - are good for learners. Surfboard or boogie-board hire shops are in almost each beach area where there are waves! For more information about surfing conditions in North Devon, check out the Wannasurf website.
If surfing is not your thing then the beaches offer a place to relax and enjoy the sea air. High and low tides are extreme on this coastline, lowtide in some areas can send the water back almost beyond visibility, leaving a huge playground for walking, sand-surfing, kite flying or simply just laying around.
All beaches in North Devon are cleaned of debris as much as possible and have a clean beach policy. Any rubbish you produce should go home with you or at least be deposited in the wastebins at the shoreline. Some beaches such as Woolacombe even do not allow dogs.
Much of the british coastline is responsible for providing europe with much of their shellfish requirements. Once you see the number of seashells on the beach you will know why Britain is the main supplier - Mussels, clams, cockels and many other shellfish just grow everywhere here!
Apart from mussels, clams and cockels, the low tides brings a range of other sea life right to the edge of the beach. Nooks and crannies in the rock formations on the beaches are full of rock pools, all rife with sealife. The usual barnacles and sea snails are easy to spot but if you look in the rock pools carefully you can often find tiny shrimps and crabs, sea anenomies or sponges and other sea creatures or plantlife.
If what you are looking for is the typical British Coast with fish and chips, beer and bingo then you will be disappointed. Westward Ho! does have an amusement arcade and a few fish and chip shops (some very good ones too...) and Woolacome may offer you a little more of this taste of the British Beach, but most of North Devon is unspoilt and intends to stay that way.
Either way, if you are going to sun yourself on a beach in Devon then please do remember that, even though you are in rainy England, the summer sun is just as strong as in the rest of europe, you will need sunscreen!
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