Places to eat in the Bay

There are so many places to eat in the village and to be fair i think i have tried them all! For the view and the ambiance of the village it's a must for The Red Barn. Many moons ago The Red Barn was a big cafe complete with an American style cafeteria food selection bar. It had a long running metal shelf for your tray to slide along helping yourself to plates of food behind plastic doors, whilst ordering hot food separately and finally paying at the end of the tray trail. You then took your seat at the typical plastic chairs lined along the tables! compared with what it's like today it's a complete world away!

Barricane Beach

At low tide a walk along the Beach to Barricane Beach is recommended as it has many rock pools for hours of entertainment for the kids to explore. Great fun can be had also climbing the rocks whilst the tide is out.

You will also find a cafe/hut to enjoy a cup of tea in a mug!! as well as snacks to keep you going whilst enjoying hours of fun.

Woolacombe Attractions

Woolacombe Sandcastle Competition

Around the beginning of July Woolacombe plays host to a very special sandcastle competition. The beach becomes a hive of entertainment including music supplied by the local radio station 'Lantern FM' 

This event is well worth a look just to see how truly amazing it is that such sculptures can be made out of just sand.

Below are the examples of what you can expect to see if you are planning on taking the trip.

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For more Sandcastle Pictures visit the North Devon Gallery

Where is Woolacombe located?

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Woolacombe sits at the end of a valley that winds down to the coast, it is up to a mile long it is a Southwest facing bay full of sand, it is sandwiched between Baggy Point and Morte Point. 

Directions to Woolacombe

From the M5 take Junction 27 and follow the A361 towards Barnstaple.

When you reach a mini roundabout just outside the village of Barnstaple turn left onto the A39. 

At the second roundabout turn right and follow the link road in the direction of Ilfracombe. At the lights at the top of the link road turn left. Follow this road all the way through the villages of Knowle and Braunton

Continue to follow the A361 until you reach a large roundabout called Mullacott Cross. Turn left at the roundabout onto the B3343 ad follow continuously until you reach the village of Woolacombe

Woolacombe Surf

The rolling waves bring great surfing experience's for many to enjoy. Woolacombe is a Blue Flag Beach with Life Guards to ensure safety of families swimming as well as surfers who travel from all around the country to enjoy the rolling Blue breaking waves.  

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There are many Surf shops where you can buy your designer surf wear, Hunter and Sure2Surf are the main clothes shops where you can buy everything you need to look the part.

Other fun for the kids to enjoy is the Crazy Golf pitch located in the Bay. There is a great little amusement arcade 'The Sunspot" for the kids to play the slot machines.

Whilst in Woolacombe you must visit the well known Ice Cream shop Normies for every Ice Cream flavour you could ever imagine as well as many Milkshakes, that's not before you have enjoyed a Pastie from the Pastie shop a couple of shops along.

Woolacombe has plenty of accommodation ranging from Hotels to Caravan's. Close by is Woolacombe Bay Caravan Park where a stay in a Caravan is a great experience. On site you will find a club house which is great entertainment for kids as most nights there is live entertainers to keep the kids busy. Alternatively there is the option to camp on site for the camping lovers.

There are a few places to eat out in the Bay one being The Red Barn which is a traditional Surfers hang out, inside you will find the decor of many Surfboards hanging around the ceiling, the view from the Red Barn over looking the Rolling Waves is breathtaking on a clear day. From Sunrise to Sunset you can watch Surfers enjoying the Waves in summer.