Bossington Beach

This huge expanse of pebble beach is backed by farmland and flanked by the hills of the Exmoor Coast. This steeply shelving shingle bank acts as a barrier between the Bristol Channel and flood plain of the River Horner. This little river runs down the valley from the village of Bossington but never appears to make it to the sea. In fact it seeps through the shingle virtually unseen, although every now and again the river does break through the shingle bank.

Bossington Beach is an interesting place to explore. Behind the beach is a unique marshland ecosystem which attracts numerous rare species of bird and insect. There are also plenty of traces of human history ranging from World War II pillboxes on the beach to lime kilns used in agriculture.

The currents along this stretch of coast are notoriously strong so swimming is not advised. These same currents also sort the pebbles on the beach according to size with the stones become smaller towards the crest of the beach.

The beach is owned by the National Trust and is part of the Holnicote Estate. The National Trust car park in Bossington village is probably the best place to park and is only half a mile from the beach itself. Bossington is an archetypal English rural village with thatched cottages, tall chimneys and gardens bursting with flowers.