Woolacombe beach, viewed from the north
Woolacombe is a seaside resort on the coast of North Devon, England, which lies at the mouth of a valley (or 'combe'). The beach is 2.5 miles long, sandy and gently sloping. The beach has Blue Flag and Premier Seaside Beach awards for its cleanliness, water quality and facilities. It is a popular destination for surfing, and there are many establishments offering tuition and equipment hire. The waves are gentle when the tide is out and are more vigorous when the tide is in. Numerous times has Woolacombe Beach been ranked in the world's top ten beaches.citation needed
Tourism
The winter population is very small (around 1000), but during the summer large numbers of people come to the village for a holiday. There are many hotels, holiday apartments and bed and breakfast establishments, and most of the entertainment opportunities are aimed at tourists. A long-established attraction in the centre of the village is a crazy golf course which features North Devon landmarks for the holes, the unique model buildings being constructed from the various types of stone found in the local area.
Awards
- Family Resort of the Year – Gold Award (England for Excellence – 1999):
"A beach that is everyone's ideal - golden and sandy - perfect for a traditional bucket and spade holiday"[1][2]
- Best British Beach (Mail on Sunday – 2000)[3]
- Best Beach (2nd place) (The Observer – 2000)[4]
- ENCAMS Seaside Award (2003)[5]
- Tidy Britain Seaside Award (2005)[6]
- Blue Flag beach (2005, 2006, 2007 and others)[6][7]
Geology and wildlife
Woolacombe lies within the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is renowned for its dramatic coastal cliffs and landscape. Woolacombe has the benefit of low cliffs at either end of the beach which are home to the rare maritime heathland as well as sand dunes behind the beach. Much of the countryside close to the village is owned and cared for by the National Trust. The coast itself is part of the North Devon Voluntary Marine Conservation area because of its diverse and rare species.
History
During the Second World War, the U.S. Army Assault Training Center was based at Woolacombe, where thousands of small boat crews and infantry practiced amphibious landing assaults on the beach in preparation for the Invasion of Normandy, part of Operation Overlord. The long flat shape of the beach and the conditions of the hinterland were considered to closely resemble the Omaha Beach landing area.[8]
There is a stone memorial to the soldiers, dedicated in 1992[9], sited on the grassy headland at the northern end of the beach.
Transport
The main way to get to Woolacombe is by road. During the summer the roads, which are largely very rural and quite narrow, can become very congested as people queue up to get into one of the two large carparks which are situated close to the beach.
A bus service runs from the village to Barnstaple (303), Ilfracombe, Combe Martin and Mortehoe.
The village had a joint railway station with Mortehoe on the now-closed Ilfracombe Branch Line.
The South West Coast Path runs through the village, and gives access to the spectacular North Devon coast, with the walk out to and around Morte Point being particularly popular.
There are several establishments in the area that provide opportunities for pony-trekking. Some offer experienced riders the chance to ride along Woolacombe Sands.
Religion
There are several places of worship in Woolacombe. The most obvious of these is the Anglican church, consecrated in 1912, which is sited on the main road into the village centre. The church is dedicated to St Sabinus, a canonised Italian bishop; local stories claim it was named after a missionary from Ireland who was ship-wrecked at Woolacombe but there is no evidence to support this.
A branch of the California-based Calvary Chapel was established in 2000, meeting in the Village Hall;[10] and in 2002 the Chapel organised the first Creation Fest, a free Christian music festival, held annually on the outskirts of the village.[11]
Gallery
Woolacombe beach and sea, as seen from the main car park
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References
See also
External links
Coordinates: 51°11′07″N 4°12′33″W / 51.18515, -4.20919
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