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Tucked in below high cliffs the bay offers tolerable shelter from westerly conditions but this should really only be considered a day anchorage for a beach landing. Daylight approaches are straightforward at all stages of the tide as there are no outlying dangers.
Keyfacts for Watcombe Cove
Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Protected sectors
Approaches
Shelter
Last modified
November 21st 2018 Summary
A tolerable location with straightforward access.Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
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Haven position
This is in about 1.5 metres between the two heads of the cove.
What is the initial fix?
The following Watcombe Cove Initial Fix will set up a final approach:

What are the key points of the approach?
Offshore details are available in southwestern England’s coastal overview from Portland Bill to Start Point
. The outer approaches are clear of dangers, and the bay is steep-to to the shoreline. An approach from the east presents no hazards.
Not what you need?
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Below are the ten nearest havens to Watcombe Cove for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
- Babbacombe Bay - 0.9 nautical miles SSE
- Anstey’s Cove - 1.4 nautical miles SSE
- Hope Cove (Tor Bay) - 2.1 nautical miles SSE
- Torquay - 2.4 nautical miles SSW
- Teignmouth - 2.7 nautical miles N
- Paignton - 4.1 nautical miles SSW
- Brixham - 5.4 nautical miles S
- Dittisham & The River Dart - 7.5 nautical miles SSW
- The Bight - 7.6 nautical miles NNE
- Exmouth - 8 nautical miles NNE
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
- Babbacombe Bay - 0.9 miles SSE
- Anstey’s Cove - 1.4 miles SSE
- Hope Cove (Tor Bay) - 2.1 miles SSE
- Torquay - 2.4 miles SSW
- Teignmouth - 2.7 miles N
- Paignton - 4.1 miles SSW
- Brixham - 5.4 miles S
- Dittisham & The River Dart - 7.5 miles SSW
- The Bight - 7.6 miles NNE
- Exmouth - 8 miles NNE
Chart
What's the story here?

Image: Michael Harpur
Watcombe Cove lies immediately south of Watcombe Head and just over a ½ mile north of Petit Tor Quarry, the northern extremity of Babbacombe Bay. It is a small sandy cove at the base of a wooded hillside with a seasonal café and public toilets.
The small cove offers an anchorage for one boat in settled offshore winds.
How to get in?

Image: Michael Harpur

Image: Michael Harpur
Why visit here?
Watcombe is first recorded as Whatecomb in a Charter Rolls of 1414 and Whetecombe in 1438. The name means ‘wheat valley’ suggesting it took its name from the arable fields leading up to the townland's northern steep slopes.
Image: Michael Harpur
The legendary railroad engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the indefatigable engineer of the Great Western Railway, the steamship Great Britain, the Clifton Suspension Bridge etc, discovered the area while surveying the railway extension to Torquay. So taken with its beauty and perspectives he bought an estate above the cove in 1847 with the objective of building a country home, possibly with a view to his eventual retirement. He drew up a plan for a mansion on a hilltop site overlooking the sea and spent time in advance setting out woodlands on the slopes. This he largely carried out himself with his head gardener Alexander Forsyth supplemented with advice from William Andrews Nesfeld who is famed for his use of trees at Kew Gardens.
Sadly Brunel never saw the house or gardens finished due to his death in 1859. He had already imported large quantities of Oregon Pine timber for his house and the foundations were laid, so a buyer had to be found who was prepared to work with what was already done. Consequently
though the present house at Watcombe Park is known as Brunel Manor, its design has no connection with Brunell's intended home. It is nonetheless Grade II listed with many of the principal features surviving substantially unaltered from 1859. Around 66 acres of Brunel's original 136 acres of parkland remain as gardens, park, woodland and protected coastal scene. These can be visited today.

Image: Peter Lunn
From a boating point of view, this is a pleasant idyllic spot to anchor off for a day and come ashore. The cove has a wonderful enclosed beach encircled by fantastic red cliffs and mature wooded hillsides. The steep path that leads down to the cove tends to dissuade the crowds and the café, promenade and toilets make it very comfortable for a day with a family.
What facilities are available?
It has a pathway leading up to the road, cafe and toilets which are open from May till September, and a promenade.With thanks to:
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Watcombe Cove, Devon, England
Image: eOceanic thanks Derek Harper via CC BY-SA 2.0
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Watcombe Cove Café and prominande
Image: eOceanic thanks Derek Harper via CC BY-SA 2.0
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