Watermouth
01271 865422 / 07968 396898
At a Glance
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Watermouth is a beautiful natural harbour with a rich history as a safe anchorage, a smuggling haven and a crucial World War II experimental site.
The harbour dries completely at spring low tides and is unsuitable for fin keeled yachts unless legs are used. There is a boulder breakwater dividing the harbour into two halves, covered at high tide, it is clearly marked with 3 yellow poles and a green pole with a conical topmark at the northern end where there is a wide channel. The harbour is sheltered by the surrounding hills, although strong winds from the NW to N will produce swells outside the breakwater. The swell can be a hazard to the rudder of yachts as the boat lifts off and settles at critical points of the tide.
https://watermouthharbour.co.uk/
https://www.boatcafeilfracombenorthdevon.co.uk/
Watermouth Harbour
Berrynarbor
Ilfracombe
EX34 9SJ
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Website:
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Approach
From a distance a terrace of 4 white coastguard cottages above Rillage point stands out well. The harbour entrance is 500m east of the cottages and 500m west of Watermouth Castle.
A white triangular lead in marker is on the south shore of the entrance, approximately 3m above high water. There is a co-located 3 sector light – red/white/green, occulting every 5 seconds at night. The inbound course for the white light is 153 degrees. In practice if you avoid all the sides of the harbour by about 30m then you will be clear of rocks.
Beware of lobster pots …….. they are frequently dropped in the harbour entrance and indeed anywhere along the coast, normally within 100m of the shoreline.
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Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
Visitor moorings – best to pre-book with the harbour master. There are 4 yellow buoys closest to the harbour entrance. Each buoy is attached to 2 bow lines and 2 stern lines. It's a 400m row to the harbour wall at high tide. At 1.3 metres on the Ilfracombe tide graph the outer most mooring is dry, the inner most dries at 1.8 metres.
Grounding – sandy in the area of the visitor moorings. Generally, there is a mixture of sand/gravel/mud throughout the harbour with larger stones on the northerly side outside the breakwater.
Visitor fees for any size of craft are £24 per night and £120 per week (2026).
Facilities
The harbourmaster can provide a key fob for the toilets and showers behind the harbourmaster's boathouse.
A metered water tap and 240v socket are on the side of the boathouse. £1 coins needed.
The harbourmaster's office is also a small chandlery.
What to Do
On the harbour wall is a converted River Severn rescue boat called Teacup which has been converted into a café. From April to September, 0930 to 1600, the friendly staff offer excellent breakfasts, lunches and tea.
Nearby Watermouth Castle, built in 1825, is a theme park offering “family adventures”.
The Sawmills is a good pub restaurant about 500m east on the road to Combe Martin.
The South West Coast Path weaves it's way around the harbour. Both headlands either side of the entrance are easily reached.
History
Local Business
Tide Information for Ilfracombe
Please note: It is the user's responsibility to ensure that the data is suitable for their intended purpose. VisitMyHarbour must not be used by vessels for navigation.September 2026
Please note: It is the user's responsibility to ensure that the data is suitable for their intended purpose. VisitMyHarbour must not be used by vessels for navigation.