WAGFINDER
Walk · Devon

Roundham Head, Goodrington and Saltern Cove

Paignton
Sugar Loaf Hill A379 Penwill Way N 440 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors
3.6MILES
2hON FOOT
190mCLIMB
Out & backSHAPE
The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland
Off-road 78% 22% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 44%Lane & track 34%Road with traffic 22%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.

Starts at
Roundham Head gardens car park, above Paignton harbour
Parking
Pay-and-display at Roundham Head and on Tanners Road at Goodrington; both fill by 11am in the school holidays
Directions to the start →

A 3.6-mile there-and-back along the coast path from the sandstone headland at Roundham over Goodrington to the underwater nature reserve at Saltern Cove and Sugarloaf Hill, about two hours with 190 metres of climbing on surfaced promenade, cliff path and a good many steps. Park on the Goodrington seafront or at Roundham Head above the harbour, both pay-and-display and both busy from mid-morning in summer; the Paignton to Kingswear steam railway runs alongside the middle of the route. The dog rules here need reading before you set off: Paignton Sands, Preston Sands, Goodrington South Sands and Broadsands all bar dogs from 1 May to 30 September, while Goodrington North Sands, Saltern Cove and Elberry Cove stay open all year, and on the promenade beside a closed beach a lead is required.

THE SMALL PRINTTorbay Council PSPO, 1 May to 30 September: no dogs on Paignton Sands, Preston Sands, Hollicombe, Broadsands or Goodrington Sands South Sands, the last defined as between the cliffs at the southern end and the signs at Middlestone to the north. Goodrington North Sands, Saltern Cove and Elberry Cove are open to dogs all year, and dogs must be on leads on a promenade next to a closed beach.
REGION · DEVON
GRID · 50.4315, -3.5570
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.TORBAY.GOV.UK/ASB-ENVIRONMENT-AND-NUISANCE/DOGS/DOGS-ON-THE-BEACH/
Also in Paignton
Broadsands Beach
Beach SOME LIMITS

Broadsands Beach

Dogs banned MAY–SEP

A sheltered crescent of sand under the Brunel viaduct between Paignton and Churston, popular with families and steam railway watchers. It is on Torbay's restricted list, closed to dogs all season; Elberry Cove, a short walk round the point, is open to dogs all year.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
Goodrington Sands
Beach SOME LIMITS

Goodrington Sands

Dogs banned MAY–SEP

Two miles of sand south of Paignton, divided into North and South Sands by the Youngs Park stream and the water park. North Sands is open to dogs all year; South Sands is closed to them from May to the end of September, so the stream is effectively the boundary in summer.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
No photo yet
Beach SOME LIMITS

Paignton Sands

Dogs banned MAY–SEP

The big red-sand resort beach beside Paignton pier and green. It is closed to dogs for the whole season under Torbay Council's restrictions, in part to hold its bathing water and Blue Flag standards, and the promenade alongside requires dogs to be leaded. Goodrington North Sands, a mile south, is the year-round alternative.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›

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