Public toilets in South Devon

Sailing towns, drowned river valleys and some of the softest coastal scenery in England — Salcombe, Dartmouth, Hope Cove, Bigbury and the long shingle of Slapton Sands. South Hams District Council keeps a remarkable number of its coastal blocks open 24 hours a day, year-round: three around Salcombe's waterfront, Hope Cove, Mill Bay and East Prawle across the estuary, and Beesands, Torcross and Strete Gate along Start Bay.

Dartmouth's town-council blocks (20p, contactless) cover the harbour from Royal Avenue Gardens to the Castle, and private operators fill in at Bigbury and Blackpool Sands. The thin patch is winter: South Sands at Salcombe, the East Portlemouth ferry steps and Challaborough all close from November to February, which leaves the Bolt Head cliffs between Salcombe and Hope Cove with nothing at all off-season.

Use the map to plan around the estuaries — a toilet 300 yards away across the water at Salcombe is a ferry ride away on foot.

Accessibility

Accessible cubicles at the main Dartmouth and Salcombe blocks, but no registered Changing Places facility inside the protected landscape — the nearest are in Totnes and at Ivybridge. In winter, Loddiswell and Kingswear Square keep an accessible toilet open while their main blocks shut.

Seasonal

Most South Hams coastal blocks run 24 hours all year, but South Sands, East Portlemouth Ferry Steps and Challaborough close November to February, and Dartmouth Park & Ride is summer-only.

Where the gaps are

The Bolt Head–Bolt Tail cliffs between Salcombe and Hope Cove, especially in winter, and the Start Point to Salcombe stretch, where East Prawle and Mill Bay are the only year-round stops.