Accessibility guide to Devon’s best beaches

Accessible family friendly days out

Known for its rugged coastline and expansive stretches of golden sand, it’s no surprise Devon is a go-to family holiday destination. With all generations and accessibility needs in mind, we've assembled a guide to Devon’s most accessible beaches, ensuring no one misses out on family fun this Spring/ Summer. 

For those with limited mobility, Devon is serviced by Countryside Mobility who provide a hire service for Trampers and all-terrain wheelchairs and mobility scooters, improving access to more rural landscapes across the county. 

© Left: Sidmouth via Visit Devon. Middle: Exmouth Wheelchair Hire via Euan's Guide. Right: Saunton Sands via The Telegraph. 

Our favourite accessible beaches in Devon

1. Sidmouth, South Devon 
Renowned for its family-friendly swim spots and regency history, Sidmouth stands within Devon’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The purpose-built esplanade sweeps across the seafront, providing level and wide paving for wheelchairs, pushchairs and mobility scooters. There are multiple access points to the beach along the seafront, including a slipway at the eastern end of the beach. In the summer months, find beach matting at the western end of the promenade next to the lifeguard hut for easier access across the sand and towards the sparkling shoreline. 

Venture into Sidmouth town where you'll be greeted by a plethora of eateries and shops offering accessible entrances and dropped curbs, providing a wheelchair-friendly day out. 

Toilets: accessible toilets are located in Sidmouth town centre, by the seafront and in Connaught Gardens, all of which require a RADAR key located in the Tourist Information Centre. 
Parking: designated Blue Badge parking can be found close to the beach across Mill Street (0.4 miles), Roxborough (0.4 miles) and Manor Pavillion (0.3 miles) car parks.

2. Exmouth, South Devon
Nestled at the mouth of the River Exe, Exmouth boasts over two miles of glorious golden sand, marking the western gateway to the rugged Jurassic Coast. Dating back to the 132nd century, charming Georgian and Victorian architecture line the streets housing a vibrant community of independent boutiques and eateries. Despite its title of the oldest seaside resort in Britain, Exmouth’s beautifully flat promenade makes exploring with little ones in pushchairs or for those in wheelchairs, stress-free. Beach matting provides easy access to the shallow bathing waters where RNLI lifeguards patrol during peak seasons. 

The Beach Wheelchair Project provides specially adapted wheelchairs for all terrains and open water, ensuring no one misses out on wading into the turquoise shallows this summer. Book your accessible beach wheelchair free of charge ahead of your visit and collect from Exmouth Beach Wheelchair Hire premises on Queen’s Drive, where a stand aid and hoist are also available on a first-come first-served basis. 

Toilets: accessible toilets can be found next to the Ocean Centre along the Esplanade, as well as Foxholes Car Park and the Imperial Recreational Ground. 
Parking: designated Blue Badge parking bays close to Exmouth Beach can be found along the esplanade along with, Queen’s Drive Long Stay (0.3 miles), Maer Road (0.7 miles) and Foxholes (0.9 miles) car parks. 

Above: Bigbury-on-Sea

3. Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon 
Surrounded by the picturesque Bantham and Challaborough beaches along the South Devon coastline, Bigbury-on-Sea is a firm family favourite. Descend the slipway ramp from the car park towards the beach where rockpools brimming with marine-life await. At low tide cross the causeway to the infamous Burgh Island, absorbing the breathtaking surrounding views. Head to the Venus Café for organic refreshments where beach wheelchairs can be easily hired. The gentle sloping shoreline into clear waters provides a safe bathing space for families to splash in the shallows.

Toilets: a separate disabled toilet block is located next to Venus Beach Café.
Parking: disabled parking bays can be found close to the main beach toilet block, providing accessible parking close to the beach.

There's plenty more to see and do in South Devon, plan your next family day out with help from our Acessible days out and activities in Devon guide. 

4. Saunton Sands, North Devon 
Famous for its expansive three mile beach and gentle dunes, there’s plenty of room for the whole family to explore at Saunton Sands. Step-free access to the beach is guaranteed via a gentle sloping sand-covered concrete ramp. With several all-terrain Landeez wheelchairs available to hire from Saunton Beach Shop, don’t miss the opportunity for everyone to enjoy this world-class shoreline. 

Ideal for watersports enthusiasts, the long slow-breaking waves provide perfect conditions for a surf lesson at Walking on Waves Surf School, where SEN qualified instructors are on hand to ensure a memorable summer. 

Toilets: two disabled toilets are situated to the left of the Surfed Out Surf Shop and accessed via a RADAR key. 
Parking: there are seven signposted disabled parking spaces on the tarmacked area of the beach car park, close to the entrance barrier. 

© The Wave Project via Instagram 

For those in need of additional adaptations, the Wave Project around the headland at Croyde is the first official surfing centre for people with disabilities. The ‘adaptive surfing hub’ provides highly trained coaches and the latest adaptive surfing equipment including seated surfboards and adjustable wetsuits, allowing people with disabilities to participate in surfing with greater independence, comfort and confidence. 

For booking enquiries contact, adaptivesurfing@waveproject.co.uk  

A recommendation incredibly close to our hearts, the Wave Project was our chosen charity we supported throughout 2023/24. Find out more about our local charity initatives for 2024/25 here.

Accessible stays in Devon

Above: Overcombe, Bigbury-on-Sea

Overcombe, Bigbury-on-Sea
Overcombe is the perfect retreat for those seeking an accessible stay to comfortably accommodate the whole family. With the entire property spanning one floor, the cliffside location and sweeping decking ensures you won’t be compromised on awe-inspiring views over Bigbury-on-Sea, Bantham and Burgh Island. Five beautiful bedrooms are accompanied with en-suite wet rooms, ensuring a relaxing ritual for all. 

Accessibility and transparency are important to us and we take the time to personally visit every property on our portfolio to be able to recommend the best home for your needs. For that reason, we've created an inspiration page for those with accessibility needs. 

These recommendations are provided to the best of our knowledge, but we understand that everyone’s needs are different. If you feel something might not be suitable, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on marketing@perfectstays.co.uk – we’re always happy to receive feedback and welcome your insights. 

Image credits: Visit Devon, Euan's Guide, The Telegraph and The Wave Project via Instagram. All other images are our own.