Our Day Trip to Woolacombe

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Today, I have something slightly different for you. I thought I’d give you a break from all my recipe posts and instead, share a little sneak peak from our travel diaries, since we both love exploring new places so much.

I have been wanting to share our trip to Woolacombe for a couple of months now but there’s always been something that got in the way of me doing so. But here I am, finally sitting down, and writing about our experience which I thought some of you might enjoy reading about.

It was one week in May when I finally managed to get two days off in a row. Since that doesn’t happen very often, I felt that I had to make the most of it, as well as the most of the dry weather. After endless elaborating about where to go, Chris and I agreed on Woolacombe.

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Woolacombe is a lovely coastal village and a seaside resort on the coast of North Devon, which lies at the mouth of a valley in the parish of Mortehoe. The beach stretches out for 3 miles and faces the Atlantic Ocean near the western limit of the Bristol Channel.

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The first time we visited Woolacombe was almost a year ago, summer 2020 between lockdowns, and we absolutely loved it. If you have ever been, you will remember this place for the long stretch of a golden sandy beach and loads of camper vans parked along the beachfront. As much as visiting the huge beach might sound like a dream to many people, it definitely isn’t our case. In fact, we can’t imagine anything worse than crammed beaches, but that’s just our opinion and personal preference. Also, probably the fact that we don’t have any kids, is another reason because naturally, we don’t have to worry about the entertainment of the little people :-).

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People think we are crazy to travel for hours just for the sake of a coastal walk, but we love it! It’s a day out that is always worth it and since we live in the Midlands, visiting the coast is very precious to us and therefore we don’t mind spending a few hours in the car. From door to door it was 178 miles and it took us roughly 3 hours and 30 minutes, including a couple of loo breaks at services. Going down on the weekday rather than the weekend meant, that the roads were pretty clear and there was no traffic. Dream! The travel is easy, all mainly motorways (if you travel like us from the Midlands or North) and though the roads are a little narrower as you get closer to the coast, overall it is a very pleasant drive. HOWEVER! Don’t ask me about traffic on a bank holiday weekend because, in all fairness, I would never risk that!

Another bonus of going down on Tuesday was the empty carparks in Woolacombe and no queues. We drove smoothly all the way into The Esplanade Car Park, located right at the beachfront. Just follow signs to ‘The Esplanade’ or ‘Sandy Burrows’ car parks when you arrive in the village. Woolacombe is tiny and everything is really well sign posted so you can’t miss it. The ‘early bird’ parking scheme on Esplanade car park provides a good value for money and visitors leaving before 1pm pay a reduced fee and those entering Esplanade car park after 6pm benefit similarly.

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Considering we did our trip in May, the weather here in the UK was still very up and down (more down than up, actually). The wind was cold and it was definitely nothing like the warm and sunny spring last year that we all loved and enjoyed. I kept checking the forecast like a mad woman the whole week before our trip and though we don’t mind being out in the rain, let’s be honest, the coast is definitely nicer when the sky is blue and the sun is out.

The Woolacombe beach attracts a lot of families and surfers. We prefer the quieter coastal walks on the other side of the village, towards the Morte Point, along the South West coast path, past Morte Point, following the public footpath all the way to Lee.

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This walks works out to be 5.2 miles long (one way) and has the most beautiful ocean views. You obviously don’t have to walk as far and instead, you can just sit by the coast and chill or have a picnic whilst watching the grey seals basking in the sunshine. The wildlife along the coast is very diverse and can easily turn into a seashore safari. Our first time experience in North Devon along the coast was magical and fascinating. I couldn’t believe my eyes when we spotted dozens of dolphins and minutes later watched a group of seals.

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Depending on how long you’re planning on staying in Woolacombe, if you don’t have a camper van, you can either check out Airbnbs or local hotels and B&B’s. One of the best known hotels is the Woolacombe Bay Hotel. We have never stayed in Woolacombe over night and so I can’t recommend any places first-hand, however, I came across Airbnb cottages located at Bull Point Lighthouse with the most stunning views.

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To sum up our trip in a nut shell – we absolutely loved it! If, for any reason, however, you aren’t up for travelling such a long distance, just for one day, staying overnight might make your visit a little more pleasant and relaxing. Chris and I both enjoy driving and so, for us it’s a part of the whole experience, but I do understand that spending 7 hours in the car isn’t for everyone, especially if you’re travelling with children. Plus, if you’re planning to walk for miles like we do, you may find the whole journey on top of that exhausting.

I hope that you have found this post refreshing and that you have enjoyed reading it. We are always looking for new places to discover (the quieter, the better ;-)) and we are open to suggestions and tips for our next adventure. Let me know if you have any recommendations for trips here in the UK as I would love to check them out. It doesn’t look like we will be travelling anywhere abroad anytime soon and though I cannot wait to see my family, we are 100% in no rush to travel to other countries and continents.

Thanks for reading

x Lenks x