Salcombe South Sands Beach

South Sands in Salcombe is one of the most unspoilt beaches in South Devon. It’s located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the mouth of the estuary, but don’t think that it’s all nature reserves and nothing else because there’s a huge range of different things to see and do all year round.

Sun, Sea and Sand

You don’t have to travel abroad in the summer to find some sunshine. During the summer months the South Devon climate is almost Mediterranean, and combined with soft sand and clear seas, you’ve got all the right ingredients for a family seaside holiday. There are car parks close to the beach and disabled access for those with mobility restrictions. South Sands is actually part of a cove so you’re sheltered from the sea winds, and it provides a neat little sun trap if you just want to lie back and soak up the rays.

An Active Holiday

If you like your downtime to be a little more active, there are a variety of water sports on offer. You’ll find hire facilities are available for canoeing, catamaran sailing, wind surfing and dinghy sailing close to the beach, and you can even hire equipment to go scuba diving and explore the local shipwrecks. Power boat and sailing courses are also available but if you’d like to enjoy the sea without churning up the foam, South Sands is also home to a colourful passenger ferry that operates a shuttle service between the beach and Whitestrand Quay in Salcombe. If you’re feeling peckish, Salcombe has a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafés, all offering locally sourced food.

To make the best of the surrounding countryside you can challenge yourself with a three-mile circular walk to Bolt Head. This route is part of the South West Coast path and takes in some of the most spectacular scenery the region has to offer. And if you want to make the most of your time at South Sands, there is plenty of excellent local accommodation in the area ranging from swish hotels to chilled-out campsites.