A section of North Devon’s Tunnels Beaches in Ilfracombe will remain closed throughout the 2025 season following a recent landslide. The popular site, known for its two beaches, Victorian-era tunnels and tidal pool, experienced a rockfall on Wednesday, April 16, leading to an emergency evacuation at Ladies’ Beach. Rocks fell onto the beach in the middle of the day while visitors were present, prompting an urgent evacuation and its closure for 2025 due to safety concerns.
The closure was confirmed in a statement by owner Jamie McLintock. He wrote on Facebook following the incident: “We have taken the difficult decision to remain closed to day visitors and season ticket holders for the 2025 season due to the risk of rock falls at the top of the Ladies’ beach.”
Owner Jamie McLintock, who has run the attraction with his wife for over 25 years, emphasised the ongoing risk of further rockfalls from the cliff.
He also told the North Devon Gazette: “We were open to the public on the Wednesday and around lunchtime rocks came down on the slipway at the top of the Ladies’ Beach.
“We had people on the beach and we had to evacuate the beach. Our daughter Lottie dealt with it all and people said how good she had been with it.
“It was literally at the top of the Ladies’ Beach, which is where beachgoers go and is high risk. I cordoned it off, but when I went down to check, some more rocks had come down. There is no risk on the rest of the site.”
“We have it serviced every year and it is probably the most maintained cliff in the South West, with each section of it mapped, but you can’t legislate for this sort of thing.
“We will assess this year and this winter look into what if anything there is to do. We thought it better to close now than mess people around on a day to day basis, but safety comes first, there’s no other option.”
The area serves as a sought-after events and wedding venue.
While Ladies’ Beach has closed for the season due to the safety concerns, the owner told the North Devon Gazette that Gentlemen’s Beach will remain open and that the events and wedding venue will still be used as planned this summer.
The historic tunnels were excavated in the 1820s by the Ilfracombe Sea Bathing Company to provide access to the sea for bathing with two beaches with clear waters: Ladies’ Beach and Gentlemen’s Beach.