Woody Bay tidal pool is one of the most dramatic wild swimming spots in Devon. While the pool might be small, the setting has the wow factor, with sheer red cliffs and smaller jagged rocks that hide it from sight until you’re right on top of it.
The sea laps against the rocks beside the pool and flushes it clean with every high tide. The walk to reach Woody Bay is quite steep, but the terrain is good right up until the final descent to the beach which is a bit rocky.
Here’s everything you need to know to plan your visit to the Woody Bay tidal pool.
The walk to Woody Bay tidal pool
The stats
Distance: 1.1 miles (1.7km) each way
Elevation gain: 180m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Trailhead: The lay-by on St Robert’s Path, Martinhoe
Summary: There are a couple of routes you could use to reach Woody Bay and in this guide we are sharing the shortest option. Using this route the majority of the walk down to Woody Bay Beach is on a road.
Whilst that doesn’t sound very appealing, the road can only be used by residents, so it’s very quiet and incredibly scenic. It is steep, so there is a bit of a puff inducing climb back up to your car after visiting the pool.
The final section to the beach is on a gravel and then cobblestone path, but the cobbled portion is only a couple of metres long.
Reaching the pool involves a minor amount of rock hopping as you make your way along the beach.
A note on the tide and swell
If you want to swim in the tidal pool this is best done a couple of hours either side of low tide. It’s quite well sheltered, so although a slight swell is preferable for any tidal pool visit, you are probably ok in all but a rough swell, which you want to avoid as waves would come crashing into the pool. You can see the 5 day tide and swell forecast here.
The walk to Woody Bay
From the closest parking area at the St Robert’s Path car park in Martinhoe (full details below), you head down the road and make a left at the sharp bend after 50m.
The first 1.5km of the walk is all on a paved road as it winds its way down to the coast, which does seem a very long way down at the start of the walk!
The woodland surrounding the road is stunning and actually made what could have been a very boring road walk highly scenic.
At the 750m mark you even start to get some little sea glimpses between the trees. This is also the point the gradient becomes a bit shallower, but it’s still very noticeably downhill.
At the 910m you will see one of those signposts that points to the direction of various countries around the world, which seemed very random in this quiet pocket of the Devon countryside!
You’ll also see a small sign pointing you to the beach, though you couldn’t go wrong as you are just following the road downhill and any turn-offs lead into private property.
At the 1.1km you’ll leave the paved road behind and continue along a gravel road. Roughly 430m later you’ll reach a junction and head right and this is where the gravel path steepens before turning to cobblestones.
You’ll pass the charming Woody Bay Cottage which I later saw was a holiday let and promptly added a stay here to my wish list!
The whole of this steeper section only lasts for 130m and then you’ll reach the beach.
From here you continue along the sand, interspersed with a bit of rock hopping, towards the pool which is 90m away (1.75km from the parking area). It will be hidden from sight at first but you can’t miss it if you continue up the beach.
Swimming at Woody Bay tidal pool
As you near the pool you’ll pass a small trickling cascade (or a much more impressive waterfall after rain) and see the gigantic sheer red cliffs ahead.
While the beach is not that pretty in and of itself as the sand is grey and stony rather than golden, when it comes to dramatic scenery it’s a winner.
The tidal pool is quite small, but absolutely gorgeous, surrounded by jagged rocks and backed by those amazing cliff walls.
The water shines blue in the sunshine and was still striking when the clouds rolled in and the water took on a grey hue.
Entering the pool couldn’t be easier as you step off the rocky beach directly into shallow water. The water does soon deepen, but was not above head height anywhere in the pool.
There are some rocks and little weedy areas, predominantly on the right side of the pool when facing the sea, but there is still plenty of room to have a swim in unobstructed water through the middle.
It’s a fabulous place for a dip and only added to our growing love of Exmoor.
The only other thing to note about the pool is due to its size, if you want a quiet swim, you may want to come early if visiting in the school summer holidays as we did.
In the late afternoon there was a steady stream of people and the pool does have limited room for swimming.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Where to park for the Woody Bay tidal pool
The closest parking point for Woody Bay is at a lay-by on St Robert’s Path. It’s the last part of the road you can drive to unless you are staying/live at the houses in Woody Bay. You can see the lay-by here on Google maps, postcode EX31 4QX. There is also another parking area further up the road if the lower option is full. Both are free and don’t have any time restrictions.
It’s a couple of kilometres from the town of Lynton, 40 minutes from Barnstaple and 50 minutes from Minehead. There are no facilities at the car park or anywhere along the route.
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