Enjoy 21 years of award-winning beach excellence with pristine waters, family-friendly facilities, and direct access to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve at Northam Burrows.

Westward Ho! Beach stands as one of Britain's elite coastal destinations, having achieved the prestigious Blue Flag award for over 21 consecutive years. This internationally recognised certification guarantees exceptional bathing water quality and meets rigorous standards across environmental education, waste management, safety, and visitor services including lifeguards and first aid facilities. The beach offers families a comprehensive experience beyond swimming, with the extended and refurbished visitor centre at adjacent Northam Burrows providing exhibition spaces, an education room, and a welcoming café. Visitors can explore the Site of Special Scientific Interest, which forms part of North Devon's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, offering opportunities to observe rare local plants and wildlife species throughout the year. Educational programmes run year-round through the visitor centre and ranger-led activities, making it ideal for families seeking both recreation and nature connection. The facility includes important accessible amenities such as changing places for disabled visitors, ensuring all family members can enjoy the beach comfortably. Westward Ho! combines award-winning beach quality with environmental education and natural heritage exploration.

Venue Details

What this place offers

Toilets

Public transport nearby

Accessible toilets

Free WiFi

Baby changing facilities

Food available

On-site parking

🐕Dog-friendly

Parking nearby

Pushchair friendly

☕ Food & Drink

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Tommy Jones

3 months ago

Good convenient parking lovely places nice shops good food can’t complain. Would go back any time.

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Nina

3 months ago

lovely beach as well as great facilities nearby

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OllieEvo6

4 months ago

Lovely beach, clean and tidy, very large beach so no reason to have everyone on top of you and plenty of space for children to play. You can park right next to the beach and you can buy the best ice creams I've ever had from the 'Hockings' ice cream vans along the front. A nice selection of shops nearby, the Atlantic bay fish and chip shop is especially nice. Water is clean and lovely to swim in, due to the size of the beach and it's gradual 'drop' it takes a fair way out to be deep (depending on tide times) so is good for various people/ages/swimming ability.

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Sharon Gaiger

a year ago

Beautiful sandy beach.... just got to climb over rocks to get to it, or walk to the lifeguard hut and there is a walkway down. Tide goes out a very long way. Very flet beach so the waters edge stays shallow for long way, ideal for children.

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Kate Laubscher

a year ago

A fantastic beach with plenty of space to play or walk. It's a pity it's becoming so built up with high rise buildings and entertainment facilities, but it brings tourism to the area, which is a good thing. The Burrows and beach are stunning though and the North coast is something to be treasured

Reviews last updated: 7 October 2026