Top Beaches Day Trips from Exeter
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The top Beaches Day Trips from Exeter include Ness Cove Beach, Weston Beach, Seaton Beach, Elberry Cove, South Milton Sands, Charton Bay, Scabbacombe Sands and Landcombe Cove.
Exeter sits a little inland, but the beaches of the Devon coast lie within an easy drive in almost every direction, making the city a fine base for a day by the sea. To the south, the sheltered sands of South Milton Sands look out to the great natural arch of Thurlestone Rock, while a string of quiet coves, Elberry, Scabbacombe and Landcombe, hide along the coast path near Torbay and Dartmouth, each reached on foot and rewarded with clear water and solitude.
Closer to the city, Ness Cove is entered through a dark smugglers' tunnel cut through the headland at Shaldon. East along the Jurassic Coast lie the shingle and cliffs of Seaton, the remote combe-end beach at Weston, and the landslip shore of Charton Bay, hemmed in by jungle-like woodland.
Some are busy with parking and cafes, others need a walk in, but all make a rewarding day out from town. Here are eight of the best beach day trips to take from Exeter.
Ness Cove Beach
Photo: Alan Hunt via Geograph.org.uk
Ness Cove Beach is a secluded shingle beach below the red headland of the Ness at Shaldon, across the estuary from Teignmouth in South Devon, an easy drive south from Exeter. The way down is through the Smugglers' Tunnel, a dark, winding passage cut through the cliff that opens onto the shore.
The shingle slopes gently to the sea, with a marked swimming zone kept clear of boats, and it is a spot for bathing, rock-pooling and fishing. Steep steps make it hard going, and there are no facilities on the sand.
Seek it out for the walk through the tunnel to a hidden cove.
Weston Beach
Photo: Lewis Clarke via Geograph.org.uk
Weston Beach also called Weston Mouth, is a remote and undeveloped shore at the seaward end of a wooded combe on the East Devon coast, lying between Sidmouth and Branscombe. It is largely shingle and pebbles threaded with rock pools, though a little sand shows itself at low tide.
You can only reach it on foot, either down a steep path from the hamlet of Weston or along the South West Coast Path, and there are no facilities beneath the high, crumbling cliffs. This is National Trust land on the Jurassic Coast, long used informally by naturists.
Bring all you need and settle into its wild quiet.
Seaton Beach
Photo: Philip Halling via Geograph.org.uk
Seaton Beach runs for roughly a mile of shingle behind a sea wall at the town of Seaton in east Devon, where the River Axe empties into the sea along the Jurassic Coast. Red cliffs climb away to the east and white chalk cliffs rise towards Beer in the west, while the estuary behind teems with birds, backed by wetland reserves close by.
From the seafront a narrow-gauge heritage tramway trundles up the Axe valley to the village of Colyton. There is parking and a promenade, and the South West Coast Path threads along the shore.
Combine a beach stroll with a nostalgic ride inland.
Elberry Cove
Photo: Ian S via Geograph.org.uk
Elberry Cove At one end of this quiet pebble cove stand the ruins of an old bathing house built for Lord Churston, a touch of faded grandeur above the shore. The water below is notably clear and sheltered within the bay, used through the summer for both swimming and water-skiing.
It lies near Broadsands in Torbay, backed by woods and reached only on foot along the coast path, a walk that keeps it secluded. Agatha Christie knew the cove and wove it into her fiction, which lends a faint intrigue to the walk in and the swim that follows.
South Milton Sands
Photo: David Smith via Geograph.org.uk
South Milton Sands is a National Trust beach of golden sand on the South Devon coast near Thurlestone, in the South Hams. Its signature sight is Thurlestone Rock, a huge natural arch worn through by the sea and standing proud in the bay just offshore.
Broad sand, clear water and rock pools make it a well-loved place for swimming, snorkelling and paddleboarding, and the South West Coast Path passes along the shore between Thurlestone and Hope Cove. A car park, a beach cafe and toilets serve visitors, and dogs are allowed all year round.
Come for the arch and stay for a lazy family day by the water.
Charton Bay
Photo: Nigel Mykura via Geograph.org.uk
Charton Bay is a remote pebble beach set in the Undercliff, the long landslip coast between Axmouth and Lyme Regis on the Devon and Dorset border. It is one of the few places where the coast path drops down to the shore along this otherwise closed-in stretch, where the route runs hemmed by dense, jungle-like woodland.
The beach is small flint and chert pebbles, with sand showing at low water. The whole undercliff is a nature reserve, formed by great slips of the unstable cliffs.
Seek it out for a proper walk into one of the wildest shores in the region.
Scabbacombe Sands
Photo: Derek Harper via Geograph.org.uk
Scabbacombe Sands is a secluded little cove of sand and shingle on the South Devon coast, north of Kingswear and near Brixham, cupped by cliffs and looking east. The name oversells the sand, for it is more pebble than anything, though the water runs clear.
No road drops down to it: you arrive on foot from a small car park on Scabbacombe Lane, heading down a steep track and across a field. Quiet and undeveloped, it offers no facilities, and its far end has long been a haunt of naturists.
Dogs are welcome throughout the year. Save it for a warm day when the clear water tempts a dip.
Landcombe Cove
Photo: Alan Rosevear via Geograph.org.uk
Landcombe Cove There is no lane, no car park, nothing to point the way down. To reach this scrap of sand and shingle between Blackpool Sands and Slapton, you leave the road at Strete, pick up the South West Coast Path, then drop steeply through a field to the shore.
The reward is a cove all but forgotten, where grassy headlands close in on either side and the only sounds are wind and water. The shingle never settles, shifting with the tides and now and then baring small caves at the back.
Bring everything you need for the day, because down here on the Devon coast there is nothing at all.
FAQs
How far are these beaches from Exeter?
All lie within a comfortable drive on the Devon coast, making them easy day trips. The Jurassic Coast beaches at Seaton and Weston are quick to reach east of the city, while the South Hams coves such as South Milton Sands sit a little further south.
Which beaches near Exeter are best reached on foot?
Several of the quieter coves have no road down. Elberry, Charton, Scabbacombe and Landcombe are all reached by walking the coast path, so allow time and wear sturdy shoes.
Are any of these day-trip beaches good for families?
South Milton Sands is the most set up for a family day, with a car park, cafe, toilets and clear water for paddling. Seaton also has parking and a promenade close to town.
Conclusion
With the Devon coast fanning out around it, Exeter makes an ideal starting point for a day at the sea, whatever kind of beach you are after. You might drive south for the golden sand and natural arch of South Milton Sands, walk the coast path to the clear water of Elberry Cove, or seek out the hidden shingle of Scabbacombe and Landcombe, reached only on foot.
Closer at hand, the smugglers' tunnel at Ness Cove and the easy seafront at Seaton suit a gentler outing, while the wild landslip shore of Charton Bay and the combe-end beach at Weston reward anyone happy to walk in. Pack a picnic, check the tide times, and set off, for these are the best beach day trips to take from Exeter.
