Minehead Beach

  • Minehead Beach - Somerset
    © Mike Charles
  • Minehead Beach - Somerset
    © NH53 and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • Minehead Beach - Somerset
    © NH53 and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • Minehead Beach - Somerset
    © ross_hawkes and licensed for reuse under this Licence

  • Minehead beach, known as The Strand, is a wide expanse of sand, with some areas of shingle and a variety of rock pools. As the tide goes out this sandy stretch of beach becomes ideal for beach games and for building sandcastles.

    Along with a number of hotels and apartments that line the promenade the beachfront is overlooked by a large Butlin’s holiday camp, adding to the lively atmosphere of the resort. Minehead is one of Somerset’s busiest holiday resorts and the beach can get quite busy in high season.

    The beach is dominated by North Hill and from here there are delightful views over the Bristol Channel to Wales and along the coast to Exmoor. Along this coast fossils can be found among the nearby cliffs.

    This end of the beach is also the starting point for the South West Coast Path, which runs all the way to Poole in Dorset via Land’s End in Cornwall.

    In 1990 a large section of the beach was washed away by storms.  Since then, new improved sea defences have been installed, including a long sea-wall which runs along the shore.

    There are toilet facilities and a café.  Deck chairs and windbreakers are available for hire.  There is no lifeguard.

    Type of beach

    Sandy

    Lifeguard service

    No

    Dogs friendly beach?

    Dogs are not allowed on the main beach between the harbour and the golf course from the start of May until the end of September.

    Somerset dog friendly beaches »

    Activities

    • Amusement arcade
    • Swimming/bathing
    • Rock pooling
    • Wind surfing

    Facilities

    • Cafe/restaurant
    • Toilets
    • Town centre nearby
    • Shop
    • Deck chair hire
    • Promenade

    Nearest town

    Minehead

    Postcode

    TA24 6GQ

    OS grid ref.

    SS 9773 4636

    Parking

    Pay and display parking available.

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    Minehead Beach Reviews

    Excellent location

    Charls Games
    Jun 18th 2023

    We visited this beach last weekend and it was an absolutely amazing experience. My son and I have an allergy condition, we cannot share dog spots, this place is amazing, friendly to people with dog allergies.

    Lovely beach

    StrangerOnTheShore
    Jun 13th 2020

    We’re so fortunate to live in Minehead to enjoy this wonderful beach. It is clean and not nearly so crowded as other beaches.

    Nice sand. Dirty water. Good fossils in boulders. Weather generally pretty good.

    Oct 21st 2019

    Nice sand, good for sandcastles. Really dirty water; always a green slime of pollutants washing up every time we visit (at least once a month) and devoid of sealife. There are some really good fossils in the groynes (the lines of boulders running down the beach into the water). Weather generally pretty good, prevailing winds from the SW so most rain gets dumped on Exmoor before it reaches Minehead.

    Beautiful Setting

    Carole
    May 29th 2019

    You would have to go a long way to beat the setting of Minehead. The beach is huge, mainly sand and has second highest tidal reach in world. Great for children exploring rock pools. Lovely views across to Wales, Steep Holm, Flat Holm and Weston Super Mare. Clean and accessible. Beach not as crowded as some due to its size.

    Pretty good

    Mar 15th 2021

    There is tons of people throughout summer season and it’s full of tourists which makes it hard for the locals to enjoy but there is tons of things to do and a lot of fairly good shops. All I would say is the water is fairly muddy so you have to be cautious with currents and all that stuff so water quality isn’t the best.