Budleigh Salterton Beach

Budleigh Salterton is a pebble beach, not a sandy one: 2.5 miles of it on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast, under red sandstone cliffs. It suits families, paddlers and open water swimmers who like water that is often calm and clear, and who are happy with shingle underfoot. For a base close to the seafront, see Budleigh Salterton.

Swimming and lifeguards

The RNLI runs daily lifeguard patrols in the summer season. Some hazards are specific here. Do not swim in the River Otter or the estuary mouth. Take care on the steeply shelving beach, where shorebreak waves can be strong. Be wary of steep drop-offs around exposed pipes, and keep away from unstable cliffs. No flags means no lifeguards, so swim between the red and yellow flags when they are out.

Powered craft are limited to 8 knots between the yellow buoys and the shoreline, but this is not a dedicated safe swim area. Cliff falls can occur at the western end, where a naturist area is marked by signs.

Dogs

Dogs are allowed all year on the promenade, on a lead between Lime Kiln car park and the Gentleman’s Club. They are banned from the centre portion of the beach from 1 May to 30 September. East Devon District Council publishes a separate dog information page with the full rules.

Parking and facilities

There is a large chargeable public car park, with public toilets at intervals along the seafront, water taps and refill points, beach huts, a playground with a skate park and three refreshment kiosks. The promenade has a hard surface with good access to the cafes at 50 degrees north. It is flat from Lime Kiln car park to the Gentleman’s Club, then slopes upwards to the west, with an unguarded edge on the sloped section.

On the water

Budleigh Paddle Sports runs watersports from the beach. Paddleboards and canoes can go up the main channel of the River Otter as far as White Bridge, but not into the nature reserve.