Gastrobus Thurlestone Beach

Beautiful beach with a long stretch of sand, or rocky area to scramble along. Car park is large with an overflow and is nearby, there's toilets (if open), cafe and kayak/paddle board hire (summer 2021). Great place to bring your own kayak, too. Low tide reavels a vast and fascinating rock pool, and Thurlestone rock itself is amazing up close if you're brave enough to wade out to it at low tide, or you can swim through, or paddle through it on a boat/board at high tide. But beware the tide, and water levels change quick here Be careful not to get stranded in the rock pool if you're not dressed for swimming!

Lovely sunset behind Thurlestone rock, a beautiful cafe aswell and a great all round beach.

The beach was easy to find using Sat Nav, but some of the roads were very narrow with no passing places. This is quite commonplace for Devon, but something to bear in mind if going to this beach. The car park cost £6, which is steep, but not as costly as some of the rip off car parks we came across in Devon. There was a very friendly member of staff from the National Trust directing us to a space. The car park was very busy, but we got a space in the overflow park. Unfortunately, the weather was overcast and very windy on the day we visited, so that obviously colours our review. The beach was busy, but we managed to find a spot. A lot of other visitors had brought a great deal of equipment – kayaks, body boards, kites, wet suits etc and there were quite a few people with dogs. There is a café and toilets very near the beach. As it was very windy, the sea was rough, and I found it difficult to properly swim. There was quite a bit of seaweed at the shoreline, but that didn’t cause too much of an issue once you had got passed it. We went for a walk along the beach, which has very picturesque surroundings and great views over to other beaches. We would go back there, but perhaps on a more settled day.

The burger was stunning, cooked to perfection, and incredibly tasty.

One of our favorite beaches! It's dog-friendly all year round, and while parking can be quite expensive, National Trust members can park for free. The café near the beach offers delicious food and is very popular, although it isn't the cheapest option.