Blackpool Sands Devon
Blackpool Sands in Devon is one of the finest and most beautiful private beaches in Britain, a sheltered shingle and sand bay on the South Devon coast near Dartmouth that is owned and managed by the Newman family and maintained to an exceptionally high standard that makes it one of the most consistently enjoyable beach experiences in the southwest. The bay faces south into the English Channel and is sheltered by the wooded headlands on either side, the combination of protection from the prevailing wind and the clear blue water that results from the lack of river runoff in this section of the coast creating conditions reminiscent of the Mediterranean at its best.
The beach is accessed via a steep road from the A379 and a pay and display car park above the beach, from which the bay is revealed in its full extent below. The colour of the water at Blackpool Sands, clear and blue-green in summer sunlight, is regularly described by visitors as the most un-English seawater they have encountered in Britain, and the consistency with which this comparison is made reflects the genuinely exceptional water quality of this protected south-facing bay. The safe bathing conditions, the lack of strong currents and the gradual depth increase make it particularly popular with families.
The café and watersports hire facilities at the back of the beach are managed with the same care for quality that distinguishes the beach itself, with locally sourced food and good coffee providing a standard of beach catering considerably above the national norm. The wooded headlands above the beach are accessible on foot and provide excellent coastal walking with views over the bay and along the coast toward Dartmouth and Start Point.
The South Devon coast in this area combines excellent beaches at Blackpool Sands, Slapton Sands and the Salcombe estuary with the historic port town of Dartmouth, the Dart Valley Railway and the walking routes of the South West Coast Path to create one of the most varied and rewarding sections of the southwest coast.