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A remote beach with rock pools overlooked by cliffs often carpeted with wild flowers.
near Bude, Cornwall
Asset | Opening time |
---|---|
Countryside | Dawn - Dusk |
Toilets open April to October. No overnight camping.
Open dawn until dusk. No overnight parking or camping. Donation welcomed.
Toilets open April to October
Dogs welcome all year but under control, particularly around livestock and cliff edges
Uneven ground and steep in places. Poor phone signal.
Toilet accessed using RADAR key
Uneven ground and large boulders and rocks at the top of the beach. Coast path has steps and is uneven in places
From A30 east take exit signed Okehampton onto A386. Then join A3072 all the way to Bude. From Bude join A39 signed Bideford. At Kilkhampton follow signs to Stibb and Sandymouth. Drive through Stibb, passed the turning to Sandymouth and continue about 2 miles. Just after crossing a bridge turn left and Duckpool is at the end of this lane.
Parking: On site
Sat Nav: Use EX23 9JN
On the South West Coast Path.
Bodmin Parkway, 32 miles (52km) from Bude.
Go Cornwall bus number 217 stops in Stibb and Coombe but may offer a request stop. Please contact bus company for more details.
Help to look after National Trust places by observing a few simple guidelines during your visit and following the Countryside Code.
A very tidal beach. Pebbles and rocks lining the top with sand becoming visible at low tide.
Stretch of coast famous for shipwrecks. South West Coast Path links with Sandymouth, along cliffs abundant with wildlife.
Dating back to the 12th century, only earthworks remain of this small castle with views down the Coombe Valley.
A walk from Sandymouth to Duckpool along the South West Coast Path taking in sweeping coastal views. This walk can start from Sandymouth or Duckpool.
This circular trail offers walkers contrasting landscapes as it follows the coast from Sandymouth to Duckpool before heading inland to historic Stowe Wood.
A short yet challenging clifftop walk encompassing some of the most breathtaking views of North Cornwall's coastline.
There are a number of holiday cottages at nearby Boscastle.
A Grade II listed cottage with bags of charm in the wooded Valency Valley near the river.
A great location on the valley floor overlooking the quayside in the pretty village of Boscastle.
Duckpool sits at the mouth of the Coombe Valley, in an area steeped in history and surrounded by coastal grasslands and ancient woodlands.
A river flows down the valley and emerges at the top of the beach, giving Duckpool its name. Like other beaches in the area such as Sandymouth, Duckpool is very tidal with pebbles lining the top of the beach and sand becoming exposed around low tide.
There are great opportunities to enjoy a walk here, both along the South West Coast Path for exhilarating sea views as well as inland. A circular walk along the valley takes in Stowe Barton farmstead, and woodland trails in Stowe Wood can be explored too.
There is much history and wildlife to discover here. Anti-tank blocks installed before WW2 can be found scattered along the beach. King William’s Bridge built by Parson Hawker in 1836 crosses the river at the top of the access road. Nearby sheltered woodlands are dripping in lichens and the maritime grasslands are strewn with flowers such as thrift and squill. Rock pools offer an array of sea life.
Thanks to funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, places in Cornwall have started improvements to help make the South West Coast Path a year-round experience. Find out where has benefited.
Clifftops and fields across Cornwall are set to be transformed into thriving wildflower meadows, thanks to a new three-year conservation project.
Search for live volunteering opportunities, or register your interest with Duckpool.
Enjoy access to more than 500 places with National Trust membership. Join today and help protect nature, beauty and history – for everyone, for ever.