The beautiful golden beach smack bang in the middle of two popular seaside towns

In North Devon sits a beautiful three-mile stretch of stunning golden sand, backed by the impressive Braunton Burrows, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Saunton Sands is renowned for having some of the country’s best surf thanks to its long, slow-breaking waves.

This world-class beach has become a popular filming location. The shore was used for blockbuster films such as 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise, as well as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, released in 2023 with Jason Momoa playing the lead role.

And Robbie Williams is a fan of the beach having used it as the location for the music video for his single Angels in 1997.

Saunton Sands Hotel overlooks the beach at the northern end and has a fascinating wartime history. In 1940 it was requisitioned to house the children of the Duke of York’s Military School as the pupils were evacuated to Devon from Kent until 1946.

The beach is cordoned off a few times a year and used as an airstrip for military transport planes, typically Lockheed C-130 Hercules of the Royal Air Force, to practise beach landings and take offs.

This idyllic beach is located between two popular seaside towns: Braunton and Croyde. Located near the North Devon coast Braunton is a quirky village with a rich history of farming, fishing, and shipping. 

Acting as the gateway to the northern coast the village has the highest population of all villages in England at approximately 10,000 residents.

Braunton has nunerous hotels, B&B’s and holiday rental properties in which are extremely popular throughout high season, usually from Easter to October.

It takes just 24 minutes to drive from Braunton to Saunton Sands Beach whilst you can walk from Croyde Bay to Saunton Sands Beach. The walk is around 2.2 miles.

Croyde is home to a mix of surf shops and family-friendly pubs where you can enjoy a relaxing pint. The village lies on the South West Coast Path near Baggy Point, which is owned by the National Trust.

For over 20 years Croyde has hosted an annual surfing and music festival, called the GoldCoast Oceanfest, on the weekend closest to the summer solstice.