Dawlish Warren

BeachTeignbridge District Council🐾 Seasonal daytime dog ban

Large sand-spit beach and nature reserve at the mouth of the Exe Estuary, backed by dunes designated as a national nature reserve and SSSI.

📍 View on the map

Beach & safety

Water quality: Excellent

Lifeguard: RNLI lifeguards, summer season

Hazards: Estuary currents at the spit tip; Fast incoming tide over the sandbank; Golf course/dunes behind the beach

Amenities: Large car park · Amusements, shops and cafes · Toilets · Nature reserve visitor centre

Dogs

Teignbridge District Council's dog PSPO permits dogs along the seashore from the slipway adjacent to the railway station only as far as 150 metres before Red Rock, Dawlish Warren, from 1 April to 30 September - meaning the main spit/Red Rock section is a dog exclusion zone during those months.

Official source: View the rule at source →

Family

Huge flat sandy beach, gently shelving, warm shallows at low tide - one of the best family beaches in the area.

Fishing

The seaward beach supports bass, plaice, whiting, dogfish and sole; channel edges can add smoothhound, mullet, mackerel, garfish and rays but are substantially more hazardous.

Species reported: Bass, Plaice, Whiting, Lesser-spotted dogfish, Dover sole, Smoothhound, Mullet, Mackerel, Garfish, Rays

Crabbing

not recommended

Access & parking

Direct from the main car park and railway station. Sat-nav: EX7 0PJ. Get directions →

Researched 2026-07-24 — sources & disclaimer

https://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/environmental-health-and-wellbeing/dogs/dog-pspo/dog-controls/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bathing-waters-in-england-compliance-reports/bathing-water-classifications-2025

https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeguarded-beaches/dawlish-warren-beach

https://wheresthefish.uk/south-west/devon/dawlish-warren

Rules and conditions change, so always check current signage and tides before you go. We do our best to keep this accurate but can't promise it's error-free.