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General
Wild Pear Naturist Beach is a delightful little cove on the North Devon
coast, near the seaside holiday village of Combe Martin (about 5 miles
east of Ilfracombe). The access route has always been hard to find and a
steep scramble down the cliff - and back up, of course.
PLEASE NOTE :
Following a cliff fall in 2001 part of the steps have collapsed and access
to the beach is officially closed.
WE ADVISE AGAINST ATTEMPTING TO REACH THE BEACH
The access information below is retained in the hope that safe access
will be possible in the future.
O.S. Map Ref: SS 578 477
Access & Parking
The beach can only be reached on foot and the nearest car park is in
Combe Martin.
[The village can be reached via the A399 from Ilfracombe or the A39 /
A399 from the direction of Minehead.]
Walk up through the car park behind the Foc'sle Inn at the back of Combe
Martin beach. At the top of the car park, follow the signs for the coast
path and in the direction of Hangman Hills. The walk to the beach is 1/2
mile in lngth and quite strenuous - not recommended for anyone elderly or
unfit. Also, the path is narrow and, in places, slippery. Good trainers or
proper walking shoes are advisable. The first part of the walk, up to "Little
Hangman" is probably the worst part - it's uphill all the way. At
several points along, the path, you can see the beach below by peering
over the fern undergrowth (Very Carefully!).
When you reach "Little Hangman", you will find a covered
resting-place (very reminiscent of a bus shelter) Follow the coastal path
and you will see the hill called "Great Hangman" ahead. Follow
the coast path and just after you cross a stile, the path down to the
beach is on your left with the path to "Great Hangman" straight
on. Note that the path down to the beach is not so easy to see or find.
You will have to bear over to your left even more "towards the edge"
before you will begin to make out a couple of very thin "slots"
worn in the long grass - you would have to be very imaginative to call
them paths. The undergrowth is very long here, with a lot of thistles &
thorn bushes so it is not advisable to be wearing shorts or anything that
does not protect your legs. Continue on down the "slots" &
they begin to widen a little, but not much.
A little further on down the path is a gate bearing a sign which reads "Wild Pear Beach. No access due to landslip". [Sign may or may not be visible - see below.]
The path down to the beach is narrow and winding - proceed with great care, as it becomes quite steep and slippery in places. Near the bottom there is a short set of steps with a handrail on the left-hand side. Fail to negotiate these steps and you will end up on your rear end very quickly! This area is made up of very loose shale which, combined with the water seeping down from the cliffs, forms a very unstable area on which to find a good footing.
Description
Once you have negotiated the obstacle course described above, you are
free to enjoy what is a wonderfully quiet and peaceful little beach. The
beach is in a rocky cove - although there is some sand - and quite well
protected from the offshore wind. Fresh water streams run down the slate
cliffs at the back of the beach. The beach is very popular with naturists,
however there are no signs to indicate that the presence of naturists, so
you do occasionally find people arriving on the beach unaware - they
usually either take their clothes off or leave promptly ! The beach is
overlooked from the coastal path above, but at a great distance - anyone
wishing to spy on the beachgoers will need very high powered binoculars to
see anything. "Our overriding memory of the beach is how quiet it
was. You can lay on the beach and hear nothing but the waves lapping on
the shore. ."
There is a pleasure boat, "The Queen of Cornwall" which sails
from Ilfracombe daily. As it passes the beach, it comes in close so that
the passengers can "see the funny nudists on the beach". If you
are in the sea at this time, expected to be gawped at. If you are at the
back of the beach, you will be too far away for them to see anything
Facilities
None. Take everything you need with you.
Water Quality
The sea water is crystal clear and clean, although not particularly warm,
being the North Atlantic. The streams of fresh water which run down the
cliffs at the back of the beach are cool and drinkable. .
Update August 2004
Following the landslip near the base of the cliffs which destroyed part of the access path, Wild Pear beach remains 'officially closed'. Signs put up by the National Trust to notify people of the closure and give a health and safety warning about the dangerous path are reported to have been repeatedly removed by "vandals".
The National Trust warden for the Watersmeet and West Exmoor Coast, said:
"The bottom of the beach cliff slipped away some years ago. "We have a sign to say about this but every month or so this year it has been ripped out and thrown away. So people will try to go down, unaware of the problems at the bottom."
"We always look at ways of repairing the path, it would be nice to re-open it. But people who know it's there make their way down."
Trip Report - 2002
"Someone has, thoughtfully, tied a length of rope to an anchor point somewhere in the bushes above the landslip. This rope has been tossed down to the lower levels of the "slip", however this area is made up of very loose shale which, combined with the water seeping down from the cliffs, forms a very unstable area from which to find a good footing. There is a set of concrete steps at the bottom end of the "slip" from which you can make your final steps down onto the beach. The upper end of these steps, lie unceremoniously, on their side as a result of the "landslip"... [which] has occurred in the last ten metres down to the beach itself... Although the beach was deserted all afternoon other than my Lady & myself, obviously due to the poor weather on the day, I thoroughly enjoyed my first venture into Naturism."
Trip Report - 2002
"Lovely bay immediately north [of] and next to Combe Martin Bay,
1/2 mile, hard work, path was still out but it was well worth it.
(NB: it was the only naturist beach listed in 'the complete guide to
Devon's beaches & attractions' as supplied in tourist information
offices in 2000 & 2002 - published by DATA - the Devon Association of
Tourist Attractions)"
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