Bantham lies on the estuary of the River Avon a quarter of a mile from the sea at Bigbury Bay. The Bay itself is shallow, sandy and low tide exposes shallow pools that warm up quickly in the sun. At the far end of the beach (away from the river and towards the lifeguard station) there are lots of great rock pools to explore. The sandy beach is surrounded with grass and sand dunes.

• At high tide the sea comes almost up to the Dunes.
• Since 1978, extensive archaeological excavations have tracked the extent of the settlement, and it is now a scheduled ancient monument protected by English Heritage
• Lonely Planet ranked Bantham amongst the top 10 beaches in Europe in 2015.
• Disabled access is possible, but may prove difficult in sand dunes.
• Toilets are located near the end of the car park.
• The beach is cleaned daily in high season and a minimum of four times per week at other times. Litter and dog bins
  provided.
• Grey seals have been spotted off the coast. The best time to see seals is normally really early in the morning.
• Fulmars and Shags are among the birds you might see.
• Pink sea fans (BAP species of conservation importance) are found offshore and their skeletons may wash up on the shore.

•  Deep shelving beach
•  Large breaking waves
•  Strong currents
•  Surfers
•  Tidal cut-off
•  Unstable Cliffs

From the surf life saving club hut you can see Bantham Ham, the spit of land that extends behind and beyond Bantham Sand. It is thought that the Danes invaded at Bantham Ham in the 9th century, but were defeated in a bloody battle.

• Bantham was also home to one of the most infamous alcohol smugglers in South Devon, named Nat Cleverly.

The footpath to the beach is at the bottom of the car park. No roads need to be crossed to get there.

For sat nav purposes, Bantham Beach postcode is TQ7 3AN. There is a large car park with easy access to the beach.

• Bus, 162 from kingsbridge to Church then a 30 min walk. In the summer the 875 from Plymouth to Bigbury-On-Sea, then catch the ferry to Bantham slipway.
• Car, is by far the easiest option. There is a large car park with easy access to the beach, but usually with a charge on entry.
  • £3.50 September to May
  • £6 May to September.
• Ferry, Running from May to September, operates from Monday to Saturday, between 11am and 12 noon, and 3 pm to 4 pm.
• Walking, On the South West Coast Path (Don’t forget the sunscreen).

• Surfing – the beach has mellow, shallow waves for beginners but also a strong rip tide offshore, so care is advised for the intermediates. Please be careful with children and family pets, the currents at the entrance to the river Avon can be quite strong at certain tides.
• There is no shelter on this beach.
• Toilets are located near the end of the car park.
• Disabled access is possible, but may prove difficult in sand dunes.
• The beach is cleaned daily in high season and a minimum of four times per week at other times. Litter and dog bins provided.
• While dogs are not allowed on the beach between May and September they are allowed on the Estuary all year round, which you can get to at low tide.
• Lifeguards are present during May to September, 10:00 – 18:00.
• Beware of the tide.
• The beach is not cut off at high tide.
• Beware of strong undercurrents.
• Beware of unstable cliffs, do not climb.
• Be aware of the seagulls if your outside with food.
• For the latest Surf report check out surf-reports.
• Beach Type: Sandy
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