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Woolacombe is a beach-lovers paradise and the two-mile stretch of golden sands is popular during the summer months. This award-winning beach is ideal for family activities. Surfing is very popular along this coastline with good waves rolling in from the Atlantic.
An annual sandcastle competition is held on the beach as part of the Gold Coast Ocean Fest and this popular event draws crowds from miles around.
The pretty village of Mortehoe overlooks Woolacombe. A walk out to Morte Point to enjoy the superb coastal views, lighthouse and wind eroded rocks, not to mention the possibility of spotting
seals or maybe even a dolphin, is highly recommended. The history of the area is illustrated in the Mortehoe Heritage Centre.
The Woolacombe Sand is one of the finest beaches in the West Country - a broad, west-facing expanse of sand, with the Barricane or Shell Beach at the northern end. The quieter southern end is bracketed by Baggy Point, where the air is a swirl of gannets, gulls, shags and shearwaters frorn September to November.
The village of Woolacombe has grown from only a couple of farms at the beginning of this century to a thriving community today. Woolacombe is part of the ancient parish of Mortehoe, nestling in the hills beyond Morte Point, a rocky headland jutting out into the Bristol Channel, with magnificent views towards Lundy Island and the Welsh coast. The church, consecrated in 1912, is dedicated to St. Sabinus, a missionary from Ireland who was shipwrecked at Woolacombe.
Woolacombe Beach is a two and a quarter mile stretch of golden sand
backed by sandy hills and the Woolacombe Downs. The village of Woolacombe
lies at the northern end of the beach.
Woolacombe Beach
Woolacombe Beach is one of the finest beaches in the West Country with
numerous awards. It's a big favourite for families and surfers, attracting
thousands of people each summer. A great wave for all surf crafts and
a beautiful arc of 3 miles of golden sand make it ideal for children
and adults alike. Even at the height of summer it is possible to find
quiet places in the surf.
Geographically, the beach lies between the rugged, unspoilt Baggy and
Morte Points. The rolling surf brings unbroken Atlantic breakers from
across thousands of miles of ocean to pound on this three-mile long
stretch of golden sand.
It is very clean and tidy with ample facilities available including
easy disabled access, complete with shop, parking, water sports, toilets,
safe swimming, refreshments, beach huts, deckchair hire, first aid,
life saving equipment and even a lost children service. Speed boats
and jet skis are prohibited, therefore offering superb facilities for
swimming, surfing, windsurfing, sailing and sea canoeing. However attention
should be paid to warnings not to bathe at low tide.
The surfing lifestyle has brought many thousands of people to this corner
of North Devon over the years.
Woolacombe Beach
Running parallel to the glorious sweep of Woolacombe Sands is Marine Drive, constructed by the Chichester family in the early 20th century. It was never completed all the way to Vention, and is now used as a car park, enabling the whole length of the beach to be reached.
During the 1940's General Eisenhower planned much of the
D-Day landings in Royal Oak. The American forces used Woolacombe
Beach for exercising the invasion and there is a memorial to them
on the headland at the North end of the beach.
The South West Coast Path passes through the Woolacombe Bay area on its 620 mile Journey from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset. It's one of a family of 13 National trails and is the longest Trail in the country. It was designated and is largely funded by the Countryside Agency and is managed by Local Authorities, Exmoor National Park Authority and the National Trust.
The path offers walkers spectacular views of. the North Devon Coast, in particular the Woolacombe Bay area, and also the opportunity to explore the varied coastal landscape ranging from high cliffs and secluded coves to long sandy beaches. The whole area is a defined Heritage Coast and a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Tarka Trail is a 180 mile Regional Route that forms a large figure of eight in North Devon. Opened in 1991 it follows in the footsteps of Henry Williamsons 'Tarka the Otter'. The route is a mixture of cycleway, railway line, public right of way and quiet roads, as well as following other designated routes such as the Two Moors Way. From Lynmourh to Bideford, including the Woolacombe area, the Trail follows the South West Coast Path.
For walkers, the Woolacombe area is an ideal place to start. There are many opportunities to explore the varied scenery and spots of natural and historic interest, using a wonderful path network, incorporating sections of the South West Coast Path and other circular routes. Much of the land in National Trust ownership is open to the public. Many circular walks are illustrated In local trail leaflets for the Lee, Mortehoe and Baggy Point areas which are available in the Tourist Information Centre at Woolacombe and the Heritage Centre in the nearby village of Mortehoe.
THE NATIONAL TRUST
Much of the Woolacombe area is owned by the National Trust, Including Morte Point, Baggy Point, Woolacombe Down and Sand Dunes. The National Trust Is a conservation charity, independent of the Government. It depends on public support to look after the coast and countryside in this breathtaking part of Devon, much of which has been acquired through the Neptune coastline Campaign. (The campaign to save our unspoilt coast).
The Trusts aim is to allow public access while, at the same time, protecting the environment, wildlife and places of historic interest for future generations to enjoy.
Woolacombe Dunes and Downs
Backing the two miles of golden sand is an extensive line of sand dunes, known as Woolacombe Warren. These sand dunes are the remains of a much larger system that is steadily being eroded back to the original cliff line. Before the last wear a links golf course existed on these sand dunes. Behind you can see the remnants of another coastal heath system, now dominated with gorse. This is Woolacombe Down
The History of Woolacombe
The resort of Woolacombe is a recent addition to the settlements in the parish of Mortehoe. Until the middle of the nineteenth century it was a small settlement that expanded rapidly as it became an important tourist centre. The main asset is the two miles of golden sand that make it one of the top beach and surf resorts on the North Devon coast.
During the war the beach along with others in the area was used by the Americans to practice for the D-Day Landings. Woolacombe beach closely resembled the invasion beaches on the Normandy coast in France and the Americans set up their headquarters at the nearby Woolacombe Bay Hotel
Beach Type: Sandy - Dogs: Dog
access restricted - Blue flag Award
The long sandy beach which stretches the length of Morte Bay is backed by a system of sand dunes known as Woolacombe Warren.
As well as natural erosion from the elements, the dunes have suffered many disturbances over the past century.
Before the Second World War they were used as a golf course and during the war itself they were devastated by defensive works and invasion training. Constant use of the paths which cross them has added to the erosion. In the 1970s the northern end of the dunes had to be fenced off and marram grass planted, a project which has proved very successful in restoring the vegetation cover.
Marram grass is essential to thus 'knit' the sand together.
A sand dune system needs to have sand moving around if it is to remain a living system.
Woolacombe has been acknowledged as one of the top ten beaches in the world. A blue flag beach, Woolacombe has achieved premier seaside resort awards for four consecutive years. The vast expanse of sand provides space and freedom for all kinds of beach activities, walking, games, sun bathing, paddling and canoeing.
Centuries ago Woolacombe was known as Wolmecoma, Wolves Valley, a densely forested area with a large wolf population and very few human inhabitants! Relics of the stone age have also been found in the countryside around the bay.
Woolacombe is a modern settlement rather swamped by hotels guest houses and caravan parks. However once you get past all this you come to one of the finest beaches in the West Country. 3 miles of golden sand with numerous awards. It is very clean and tidy, has good toilet facilities, first aid, life saving equipment and even a lost children service. There is a large car park near the beach which is easily accessible to wheelchairs. Woolacombe is ideal for all water sports and there are lifeguards on the beach. However attention should be paid to warnings not to bathe at low tide.
Devon's coastline shows some spectacular geology and this is certainly true between Woolacombe to Ilfracombe.
Woolacombe itself is home to an impressive series of sand dunes. A short way to the north is Barncane Beach. Here, slates deposited in a shallow marine environment during the Upper Devonian are well exposed and are very rich in fossils.
From here the South West Coast Path passes through the wonderful Morte Point, with cliffs of slate rising from 50m to 100m, and on through some of the most spectacular of Devon's coastline to Ilfracombe.
The same tremendous forces that have caused rocks to be heaved up and folded in other parts of South West England caused similar deformation along this coast. The rocks were caught between two converging tectonic plates, were compressed and their minerals re-crystallised and re-orientated. This resulted in the more mud-rich rocks developing the ability to easily split (this is known as 'slaty cleavage').
Good examples of slaty cleavage can be seen with care from the cliffs at Windy Cove on Morte Point and further along in the cliffs of Tunnel Beach at Ilfracombe. As the name suggests, Tunnel Beach is reached through a tunnel which branches to the left and right.The left branch leads to 'Gent's Beach' whilst the right branch takes you to 'Lady's Beach', a reminder of the days when trips to the seaside were undertaken with a sense of decorum and modesty in mind.
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