Walking breaks in North Devon
The North Devon area is a coastal wonderland, perfect for stretching your legs during a walking break.
Meanwhile, Saunton Sands Hotel is situated right by the coast, making us the perfect place to stay for those looking for a walking paradise. Where else can you walk along 630 miles of such a beautiful shoreline that constitutes the UK’s longest National Trail? The heritage, wildlife, geology and scenery along the way are truly inspirational and walking it brings stunning new experiences.
Here are some walks from Saunton Sands Hotel, produced in partnership with the South West Coast Path Association.
Which path will you take?
Baggy Point
Easy - 2.3 miles (3.8 km)
A short easy walk out to the tip of Baggy Point and back again, taking in spectacular views of the coastline towards Bideford Bay and Hartland. Children will love the whale bones and the old wreck post, as well as the rocks and cliffs. A good walk in spring, when seabirds nest on the cliff among the clumps of pink thrift and spotted white sea campion and the gorse bushes are ablaze. In autumn the migrant birds gathering ready for their journey south sometimes attract the attention of a predatory merlin or peregrine, sometimes even a hen harrier. Gently sloping walk out to Baggy Point and back. An alternative route back includes a short steep climb. The first section, on the lower path out to the tip of Baggy Point, is suitable for people with impaired mobility or with a pushchair, and can be followed in reverse for the return journey.
Croyde & Saunton
Moderate - 3.5 miles (5.7 km)
A bracing walk to blow away the cobwebs following a grassy path bordered with wildflowers to pick up the old coastguard path around the low cliffs at Down End. Visit Croyde Beach before weaving your way through a network of old lanes to climb back to your starting point high above three miles of golden sand at Saunton, with its breathtaking views right across Bideford Bay and the Taw and Torridge estuary. This is a lovely walk in spring when the gorse is blazing and the thorn bushes are covered in blossom and home to songbirds; also in autumn, when the heathland is bright with heather and small birds feed in the fields and hedges. The paths are narrow and stony and there is plenty of ascent and descent, some of it steep, with steps as well.
Braunton Burrows
Challenging - 11.3 miles (18.2 km)
A long walk, but over easy ground. Starting at either Saunton Sands Hotel or at Velator which was once a bustling quay, the route passes through Braunton Burrows, one of the UK’s largest sand dune systems, with a unique diversity of species. As well as being a National Nature Reserve, the Burrows are at the core of the UNESCO-designated North Devon Biosphere Reserve, which celebrates man and nature working together in harmony in a peaceful pastoral landscape. Heading inland around Braunton Marshes, a large area of wet pastureland reclaimed from the sea in the nineteenth century, the walk also passes the Braunton Great Field, one of only three medieval strip farming fields remaining in England. Take a picnic and plenty of drinks to sustain you on the way. The path is on level ground but which may be muddy, sandy or stony. It also takes on a track and quiet country road.
