Sandhills

Sandhills looks down the length of Saunton Sands beach and its dunes.  

*Saunton Sands: The beach is frequently ranked in the best beaches in the UK as well as being one of the best for longboard surfing, kite surfing and sea kayaking.  The 3.5 mile length of sand means there's always plenty of space, whether playing beach cricket, taking out a stand up paddle board or searching for a wave to surf.

Note: there is a rental shop off the beach with a range of surf boards and SUPs for any level and two surf schools.  Kitesurfing tuition is available from North Devon Kitesurfing School, better booked in advance.  There is also a gift shop for ice cream (and essentials such as milk and sunscreen) and a restaurant with a terrace looking across the beach. beachsidegrill.co.uk

Unesco has designated the dunes Sandhills looks over as having international importance and it is the UK's first 'biosphere reserve'. The area is unique with more than 500 species of flora (ranking it alongside Mount Vesuvius and the Danube Delta)  and it’s a wonderful place for children to explore. More details here: brauntonburrows.org

The raw beauty of Saunton Sands and its dunes have been used over the years by numerous rock stars from a Pink Floyd album cover, to the Robbie Williams' video for Angels (though note other holidaymakers are not allowed to ride motorbikes down the beach!).  It has also featured in multiple films, including Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow.

Behind the dunes lies Saunton Golf club, the 13th best golf course in England.  "You will need to go to St Andrews or Ballybunion to find such an outstanding collection of links holes" as the 36 holes comprising the East and West golf courses according to site The Top Hundred Golf Courses: top100golfcourses.co.uk/

Just down the main road from Sandhills to Croyde is the Saunton hotel (sauntonsands.co.uk), which is a good option for afternoon tea, and also as a place to stay for overflow guests, there is also a shop that sells newspapers.

Further afield

We often never leave the Saunton area when visiting, if you do want to get to other local beaches and spots you will find it easiest with a car.  There is though a bus stop 50m from the house with hourly buses to Croyde and Braunton.

Along the coast to the north, there are further surf beaches at Croyde, Putsborough Sands and Woolacombe, and there are also some spectacular walks along the coastal path. southwestcoastpath.org.uk

Also within easy reach to the east is the Exmoor National Park renowned for its beautiful scenery and providing excellent facilities for walking, riding and fishing.  See Activities below for more ideas.

To the south and west are the regional centre of Barnstaple and the popular fishing village of Clovelly. clovelly.co.uk

Favourite Places to Eat

*Beachside Grill - 100m walk away on the way to Saunton beach, simple seafood and burgers, terrace overlooking the beach. beachsidegrill.co.uk

*Squires fish'n'chip shop in Braunton is not to be missed; the takeaway is delicious, amazing value for money, and a total crowd pleaser. squiresfishrestaurant.co.uk

*Barricane Beach Cafe on a secluded stretch of ‘shell’ beach in Woolacombe, this is a real insider secret. Take a rug and a bottle of wine and watch sunset over some fantastic Sri Lankan curry. Turn up early - around 6pm - to put your order in, as you can’t book.

*The Rock in Georgham. Wonderful C17th country pub, a 10 minute drive away. The best Sunday lunch in the area; great burgers, a famous fish pie, and five very local cask ales to enjoy in the fireside bars in winter or the sunny conservatory on brighter days. Booking advised. therockinn.biz

*11 The Quay. Damien Hirst's highly acclaimed restaurant overlooking Ilfracombe Harbour. Open all day for coffees, light lunches & tapas, and a la carte. Worth a visit for the wonderful building & artwork alone. Booking advised. Tel 01271 868090. 11thequay.co.uk/

*Lilico's in Barnstaple. By night the brightly coloured bar is heaving (live music on Thursdays), when it does a roaring trade with its tapas offer (any six tapas dishes plus a bottle of Portuguese wine or four bottles of Estrella Damm beer for £30). At lunchtime eat tapas, fishcakes and salads on the sunny terrace. lilicos.co.uk

*Sandleigh Tea Room and Garden. Tucked away at the quieter end of Croyde, near the stunning Baggy Point headland, is a community allotment project with cafe. Inside the old stone building decor polka dots and bunting in pastel shades – we are at the seaside after all. Milkshakes contain real fruit and ice-cream. Salad crops for the crab salad and award-winning pasty platter are grown yards from the tables in the walled garden. sandleighcroyde.com

*The Thatch. The hub of Croyde – North Devon's surfing mecca. London prices, and ok food. But, heaven help you if you're 18 and you're anywhere else at peak season. Beach parties, "masked balls" and live bands complete the package. This is an unabashed party pub – don't go for a quiet pint. thethatchcroyde.com

Activities

*The Tarka Trail is one of the country's longest continuous traffic-free walking and cycling paths, and forms part of the Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route. The route starts with a flat, traffic-free route, suitable for families, which runs along the banks of the River Taw passing through Chivenor, and crossing the tributary river Yeo on the new swing bridge at Barnstaple. The route then takes you up the Torridge Estuary, passing Bideford and Great Torrington before finishing at Meeth.  It has been voted one of the top 3 UK bike routes.  Visit the Sustrans site link below for more info on bike hire etc (search for Tarka Trail), and also www.devon.gov.uk/tarkatrail. NB there's a few good pubs en route. sustrans.co.uk

*Royland Riding Stables in Croyde: Impeccably looked after, well-trained horses; take them out (with guide) for a beach gallop or try a reasonably priced lesson (from gb30 an hour).

*North Devon Wake Park close to Bideford: Cable wakeboarding park with instructors and catering for beginners to experienced riders.  Additional facilities on site such as beach volleyball courts.  northdevonwakepark.co.uk

*Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park is situated in 28 acres of well tended grounds. Full of interesting & unusual animals, including wolves, sea lions, monkeys & meercats. In addition there's a dinosaur museum, NASA space light show & a canyon train ride. Great for kids. wildlifedinosaurpark.co.uk

*The BIG Sheep. Sounds cheesy, but this sheep-themed park is surprisingly fun. Where else can you bet your ewe-ros (the park's currency) on the sheep racing and see border collies round up Indian running ducks? As well as sheep shearing, lamb feeding and horse whispering, there are pony rides, farm safaris, self-drive tractors and a soft play barn. There's an on-site brewery, and the Shepherds Restaurant does cream teas. And when you tire of sheep puns, the site is also home to Battlefield Live for hi-tech laser gun battles (battlefieldlivedevon.co.uk) and next door is the Ultimate Adventure Centre, with high ropes, zipwires and mountain boarding (theultimatehigh.com). thebigsheep.co.uk

*Ilfracombe Aquarium. Great little aquarium on the harbour in Ilfracombe. Housing a unique collection of sea life, all found around North Devon. Open all year, has a small cafe too. ilfracombeaquarium.co.uk

*Exmoor Zoo, Barnstaple. You could try and hunt down the Beast of Exmoor on the moors, but a better place to guarantee a sighting is Exmoor Zoo, where the black leopard hogs the limelight. This is no big city zoo but the expansion of a conservation park where little critters – spiders, otters, wallabies – in natural-style enclosures – make up much of what there is to see. There are larger beasts such as lemurs, lynx and a leopard, but getting up close and personal is what it's all about. Touch snakes and spiders in handling sessions, learn about the animals through feeding sessions and talks, and follow zoo trails around the different species and their habitats. exmoorzoo.co.uk,

*Lundy Island. Just because there are no cars, and wildlife outnumbers residents on Lundy Island, don't be fooled into thinking there's little for families to do there. Join in snorkel safaris and rock pool rambles (see the board by the shop for daily activities), or grab a "letterboxing" pack (also from the shop) and follow clues around the wild terrain. Binoculars are essential: even if you don't spot the bright-beaked puffins the island is named after, you'll clock up numerous sightings of seabirds, feral deer and Soay sheep, and with any luck spot dolphins on the 11-mile ferry crossing. Be warned that with buggies and young children it's a gruelling ascent from the boat up to the cliffs, but once you're there, the terrain is more level. If you can muster the energy to climb another 147 steps, look out over Devon, Cornwall, Wales and Somerset from the lamp chamber of the old lighthouse. lundyisland.co.uk.

*More things in Barnstaple... Bowling, swimming complex, cinemas, ice skating, Funderzone soft play for all ages (baby and toddler area is separate), a market...