North Devon contains some very popular beaches, both with holiday makers and forces-of-nature sports enthusiasts. I have been visiting this area for nearly 20 years now and worked as a lifeguard on its beaches for a couple of years. During these times there has been quite a bit of tourist development at some of the beaches and the increasing popularity of surfing has led to some problems with overcrowding. Even in the winter, on a decent swell there can be crowd problems at certain beaches. Its not surprising really considering the potential quality of the waves, but if you're looking for a peaceful, soul searching session then North Devon may not be for you. Although, saying this there are still some quieter spots.
North Devon is now fairly easy to get to along the A361 Link Road from the M5, but in the summer the road through Barnstaple to the main beaches can be a nightmare. The beaches of N. Devon are generally sandy and some are good swell pullers. They are fairly close to the Bristol Channel, so all have big tidal ranges. This means that large areas of sand are exposed at low tide which is perfect for land-based forces-of-nature sports. In general, although fairly consistent for waves, the N. Devon area will be slightly smaller than further along the north coast into Cornwall, but a lot bigger than at the beaches along the Bristol Channel coast.

In addition to the good variety of beaches, North Devon also has countless visitor attractions, loads of good cliff top walks and plenty for all the familt to do whatever the weather.