Six best Teignmouth beaches in the town, Shaldon & Dawlish
Are you looking for the best Teignmouth beaches?
This selection of beaches in Teignmouth details all of the best sandy shores around the South Devon town.
There’s Teignmouth Beach with its attractive pier, Ness Cove Beach which is a little more challenging to get to but is well worth it with epic nature, and the charming beach of Dawlish Warren which has plenty of attractions like crazy golf.
Best Beaches in Teignmouth Town Centre
While Teignmouth isn’t among the most popular places to visit in Devon, it’s a charming coastal town with a lot of attractions.
Among them are its two beaches – Teignmouth Main Beach and Teignmouth Back Beach.
Teignmouth Main Beach
Teignmouth Beach is located right in the heart of town, and exploring it is one of the best things to do in Teignmouth.
The sandy beach stretches over 1.8 miles, and as you walk away from the town and in an eastwards direction, it gets quieter.
You’ll easily find a spot here on a sunny day!
Teignmouth Town Beach has a Victorian pier, which spans from the coastline out into the sea and is definitely one of the best things to do in the town.
While this isn’t a major tourist attraction like other piers in the UK, it does have some brilliant family attractions like arcade games and a viewing platform where you can look over the sea.
How to get there: Teignmouth Beach is the closest beach to Teignmouth Station. You can take a train from Exeter Central or Exmouth, or a bus from locations around the estuary.
Teigmouth Back Beach
Teignmouth River Beach sits right at the end of the Teign Estuary in a sheltered spot.
Home to a collection of sailing boats that sit on the sand at low tide and on the water at high tide, this is a scenic river beach that’s perfect for a stroll or to sit and look out over the river.
The Teignmouth to Shaldon ferry leaves from here as well.
How to get there: It’s also a short walk from Teignmouth Railway Station, with trains and buses running from places like Exmouth in East Devon, Dawlish and Exeter.
Beaches near Teignmouth
Shaldon Beach
If you take the boat from Teignmouth to the beautiful village of Shaldon, you’ll disembark at Shaldon Beach.
A pleasant but small stretch of sand it’s lined by pubs, boutique stores and cafes, with fishing boats lining the back of the beach.
It’s not as much of a pleasure beach as others on this list, but it’s a lovely spot for a picnic and to stretch out and enjoy the sunshine!
How to get there: Hop on the ferry from Teignmouth Back Beach, which leads straight to Shaldon Beach.
Ness Cove Beach
The ultimate secluded beach in South Devon, Ness Cove Beach is situated in Shaldon.
It’s a really unique spot, as you have to walk through a historic smuggler’s tunnel (which is by Shaldon Wildlife Trust – click here for Google maps location) to reach it.
This tunnel travels underneath the cliffs, with the slope of a passageway gradually descending before steps at the end of the tunnel.
These steps open out to the glorious Ness Beach – and they’re the only way you can get there.
Ness Cove Beach has reddish sands, towering cliffs and fascinating rock pools.
What’s more, the fact that it is a little harder to reach means that it’s one of South Devon’s quieter beaches, even in peak season.
You can’t access Ness Beach by walking over the headland from Shaldon, even though it looks like you can on Google maps.
However, there is a lookout point where you can take in views of Teignmouth. It’s an idyllic spot where there are even occasional sightings of dolphins from here.
How to get there: Head to the smuggler’s tunnel, which is located just behind Shaldon Zoo – you can walk here from Shaldon Beach. It’s less than five minutes walk to Ness Cove Beach.
Dawlish Beach
Dawlish Town Beach stretches over one and a half miles long, encompassing a large part of the Teignmouth to Dawlish walk.
This sandy stretch begins with dunes backing onto the beach and extends to Dawlish Town.
Enjoy the gorgeous sands with beautiful cliffs looking in the background.
The railway lines run right parallel to the sandy beach. This GWR train is famous for being one of the most beautiful railway lines in the country, with epic ocean views.
In the town centre, there’s adventure golf, a small canal with black swans and plenty of tea rooms and cafes.
You can click here to see all of the best things to do in Dawlish.
How to get there: You can take a train to Dawlish from Teignmouth (or Exeter or Exmouth), and there’s also an open-topped bus in the summer months. You can also walk between the two towns on the South West Coast Path.
Dawlish Warren Beach
Sitting on the western side of the Exe Estuary, Dawlish Warren is one of the best beaches near Exeter.
It’s a family beach resort with attractions like Funder Park and views over the River Exe.
With a soft sandbank, this beach looks out over the beautiful English channel and the estuary.
You can see lots of boats, enjoy the expanse of sand and take a dip in the sea – it’s fairly warm (by British standards) from July to September!
It’s a blue flag beach, which means that it has safe bathing waters.
Dawlish Warren also has distinctive sand dunes, which are ideal for a stroll.
There’s a ferry boat that connects Starcross, which is one stop on the train from Dawlish Warren, with Exmouth on the other side of the estuary.
How to get there: You can take a train from Exmouth, Exeter or Teignmouth to Dawlish Warren. There’s also an open-topped bus from Teignmouth.
These are the best Teignmouth Beaches – which one’s your favourite?
Whether you want to find an isolated beach that you need to walk a little to get to or a popular beach with plenty of attractions for all the family, there are lots on offer in wonderful Teignmouth.
With a mix of sand and shingle beaches and excellent swimming waters, boat hire options and lots of water sports opportunities, you’ll love exploring these beaches around Teignmouth town!
