Bossington Beach

A shingle beach on the Trust’s land

Bossington Beach is a bank of rounded pebbles at the east end of Porlock Bay, below Hurlstone Point, on the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate on the Exmoor coast. There is no sand to speak of and no sea-front promenade. You come to walk the ridge, watch birds, and look across the Bristol Channel to Wales.

The Trust notes that old lime kilns and Second World War defences line the pebble beach, and calls it a great place to spot coastal birds. The estate behind it runs from shingle beaches and saltmarsh to moorland and ancient woodland, and red deer live on it.

Getting there

Bossington is a small hamlet on the edge of the Holnicote Estate, known for its thatched cottages. The National Trust car park there has a pay machine and takes the JustPark app, and members park free, so check the National Trust Bossington page for current details. The Trust lists a toilet, an accessible one among them, and a tea-room at Bossington, with designated parking for disabled visitors.

The beach is a walk from the car park, and the last stretch is shingle, which is hard going for a pushchair or a wheelchair. A route from the car park leads to Hurlstone Point for sea views across to Wales. Shingle underfoot slows every step, so allow longer than the map suggests.

Porlock Marsh behind the ridge

Porlock Marsh lies behind the pebbly ridge and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a coastal wildlife area of national importance. The South West Coast Path reaches it, and the shingle bank has a breach where the sea floods the land behind. Stay on the waymarked routes, follow local signs, and do not try to cross the gap.

Porlock Weir, with its harbour, is a different place with a different feel. See Porlock Weir and the village of Porlock.

Dogs and the tide

The Trust welcomes dogs at Bossington all year, on the coastal footpaths that begin in the village, under close control. Its dog page asks for a short lead around sheep and ground-nesting birds. It gives no rule for the beach itself, and Somerset Council also sets dog rules for the coast, so check its public spaces protection orders page and the signs before you travel.

The Bristol Channel has a very large tidal range, and the council warns that people can be trapped in mud at low tide. Read its beach safety advice and check tide times before walking the shore.