Barricane Beach
A small shell-strewn cove at the north end of Woolacombe, famous for its evening Sri Lankan curry stall. Dogs are allowed but must be on leads while the cafe is in place, which is usually from March to September; outside that the cove is unrestricted.
Combe Martin Beach
A small sand and shingle bay at the foot of the village street, with rock pools at either end and Exmoor rising behind. It is one of only three beach exclusions in the North Devon district order, closed to dogs for the whole season under the same PSPO as Croyde, with a hundred pound fixed penalty attached.
Combesgate Beach
A rocky, rock-pooled cove between Woolacombe and Mortehoe, with a reef that surfers use at mid tide. Dogs are excluded from the end of April to the end of September, which is a longer season than most of the Torbay bans and a fortnight earlier than Croyde.
Croyde Bay
North Devon's best-known surf beach, and one of the few beaches in the district covered by a formal Public Spaces Protection Order rather than a landowner's rules. Dogs are banned outright from the bay for the season and must be on a lead in the dunes behind it; breach carries a fixed penalty of one hundred pounds. Baggy Point and the coast path above stay open.
Instow Sands
Sheltered estuary sand where the Taw and Torridge meet, with the Tarka Trail running behind it. What operates here is a parish Beach Code of Conduct rather than a legal ban: walkers are asked to keep off the stretch between the Quay and the Boathouse during the middle of the day in high summer, and to lead dogs on the upper beach there. The rest of the beach is open all year.
Putsborough Sands
The southern, sheltered end of the same three-mile bay as Woolacombe, with its own private car park above the sand. Like Woolacombe it works on zones: the area south of the steps is closed to dogs from April to the end of September, while Zone C further along is open to them.
Woolacombe Sands
Three miles of west-facing sand, privately owned by Parkin Estates rather than the council, and divided into three lettered zones for dogs. The village end is closed to dogs from the start of April, the middle section is lead-only, and everything from Mill Rock south is unrestricted, which is where to head if you want a run. Restrictions apply between nine in the morning and six in the evening.
