Ladram Bay, which is part of the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and sits on the Jurassic Coast, is made up of dramatic red rocks. Sadly, not everyone can visit
A secluded cove with dramatic red rocks sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — but not everyone can visit.
Unlike in Mediterranean countries such as Italy, where the vast majority of beaches are privately run and dominated by expensive-to-hire sunloungers, most of the UK coast is open to the public and completely free.
There are, however, a few exceptions — one of which is Ladram Bay, which is part of the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The South West Coast Path runs directly through the resort, along the Jurassic Coast.
Like the rest of the coastline — known for its dramatic rock formations and fossil-rich terrain — Ladram Bay is a striking spot. The beach itself is guarded at each end by massive red sandstone stacks, offering protection from the sea.
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The red cliffs are formed of Otter Sandstone and Mudstone, dating back to the Triassic period, around 230 million years ago. They are part of the 95-mile-long stretch of Jurassic coastline running across Dorset and East Devon.
It’s a popular fishing spot too, either from the shore or from one of the hire boats. At the far end of the beach, there are teeming rock pools to investigate. As charming as this all sounds, a visit to the bay may not be as easy as you’d expect.
The beach is owned by Ladram Bay Holiday Park, and everyone who isn’t staying at the venue is banned from accessing its pebbles. How the beach came to be in the park’s hands is explained on Ladram’s website:
“Back in the 1940s, our park was tenanted farmland that was worked by Frank William Sydenham Carter, or FWS for short. During the summer, he would occasionally let campers pitch up in a field that overlooked the bay, providing fresh milk and eggs as well. Pretty soon, FWS realised that his land could provide extra income in the lean post-World War II years, and so he began to develop a proper campsite.
“With the help of his wife, FWS grew Ladram Bay to incorporate static caravans and a shop. Come the late 1950s, the park was becoming so popular that the workload was overwhelming. To make Ladram Bay a park to be proud of, a manager and extra staff were hired. FWS carried on leading the park until his retirement in 2006, by which time we had become one of the largest privately owned holiday parks in the country.
“With FWS’s son and daughter, Robin and Zoe, now guiding the park, we are more successful than ever, with hundreds of owners and thousands of guests visiting Ladram Bay each year.”
The Mirror’s Johnny Goldsmith visited the holiday park was his family earlier this year and enjoyed having access to the spectacular beach. “The beach was just a few minutes’ walk from our sea-view caravan. Each morning we woke to wonderful views, with our own private decked area – the perfect spot to sit, soak it all in and really unwind,” he wrote.
“On our final morning the weather was clear enough to venture down to the beach once again, and on the way we stopped at the shop and bought an ice cream. Within seconds, a marauding seagull swooped down and tried to snatch one of the kids’ cones. The shop staff advised us to stay under the covered seated area to eat them as the greedy gulls are notorious for trying to steal holidaymakers’ food.
“Ice creams finished, we strode back on to the beach still laughing about our seagull encounter and talking about all the fun we’d managed to fit in over our four days. What a Jurassic lark!”