Slapton Sands Torcross

BeachSouth Hams District Council🐾 Seasonal daytime dog ban

The southern end of Slapton Sands where the shingle beach meets Torcross village, right beside Slapton Ley freshwater nature reserve — the same long beach and PSPO covered by the existing 'slapton-sands' ShoreMarks mark further north.

📍 View on the map

Beach & safety

Water quality: Excellent

Lifeguard: Not confirmed — no lifeguard service

Hazards: Steep shingle drop-off; storm waves have historically overtopped the sea wall at Torcross in severe weather.

Amenities: toilets · car-park · cafe · pub

Dogs

South Hams District Council bans dogs from the Slapton Sands beach zone (which runs the full length including this Torcross end) 1 May-31 October, 10am-6pm; footpath access along the top of the beach is allowed year-round.

Official source: View the rule at source →

Family

Torcross village end of the beach, with amenities (pub, café) right on the seafront, but the shingle still shelves steeply into deep water.

Fishing

Quick depth and clean ground support bass, rays, smoothhound, dogfish, gurnards, mackerel and winter whiting. The village frontage is accessible but must stay clear of the RNLI bathing area.

Species reported: Bass, Thornback and small-eyed rays, Smoothhound, Lesser-spotted dogfish, Gurnards, Mackerel, Whiting

Crabbing

unknown

Access & parking

Torcross Tank car park, right on the seafront in the village. Sat-nav: TQ7 2TQ. Get directions →

Researched 2026-07-24 — sources & disclaimer

https://www.southhams.gov.uk/environment-and-nuisance/dogs/dog-exclusion-areas-beaches

https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/south-west-england/devon/slapton-sands-torcross.htm

https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeguarded-beaches/slapton-sands-monument-beach

https://slaptonparishcouncil-devon.gov.uk/news/torcross-tank-car-park-and-toilets-re-open-ahead-of-half-term-school-holidays/

https://wheresthefish.uk/south-west/devon/start-bay

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.