Dawlish Warren is a
seaside resort
A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...
near to the town of
Dawlish
Dawlish is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Teignbridge district in Devon, England. It is located on the south coast of England at a distance of from the city of Exeter and a similar distance from the to ...
, in
Teignbridge
Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Newton Abbot. The district also includes the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, along with numerous vi ...
on the south coast of
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, England. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 1,190. Dawlish Warren consists almost entirely of holiday accommodation and facilities for holidaymakers, especially on caravan sites.
Location
Dawlish Warren is located at the mouth of the
Exe Estuary
The Exe estuary is an estuary on the south coast of Devon, England.
The estuary starts just to the south () of the city of Exeter, and extends south for approximately eight miles to meet the English Channel (). The estuary is a ria and so is l ...
opposite
Exmouth
Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort situated on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe, southeast of Exeter.
In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of settl ...
and has a beach, a
National Nature Reserve spanning 506 acres (2 km
2) and a golf course, which is classified as a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
(SSSI).

The renowned sand spit at Dawlish Warren is the location of both the golf course and the
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
which was declared a
National Nature Reserve in 2000. This spit has reduced in size within the past century due to erosion partly caused by the installation of a
breakwater
Breakwater may refer to:
* Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour
Places
* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia
* Breakwater Island, Antarctica
* Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada
* ...
at
Langstone Rock to the south-west which traps sand from the local sandstone cliffs and interrupts the natural sediment flow of the area.
The resort is popular with holidaymakers and although a death occurred from
E. coli
''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escherichia'' that is commonly foun ...
poisoning in 1999, allegedly caused by a nearby
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewerage, sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged fro ...
outflow, a new sewage treatment plant has since been built resulting in both Dawlish Warren and Dawlish beaches now winning the
Blue Flag for the quality of the bathing waters.
Tourism
Along with neighbouring
Dawlish
Dawlish is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Teignbridge district in Devon, England. It is located on the south coast of England at a distance of from the city of Exeter and a similar distance from the to ...
, this corner of south
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
has a favourable climate, which draws thousands of visitors to the area in summer. Because of this, the Dawlish Warren economy relies heavily on tourism, and in particular on the many caravan and camping parks in the village which add over 15,000 to the local population during the summer months. There are several holiday parks which attract visitors from all over the UK, but in particular the West Midlands and South Wales. The major holiday parks are Welcome, Hazelwood, Cofton, Golden Sands, Dawlish Sands, Peppermint Park, Lady's Mile and Oakcliff. In 2008 Peppermint Park and Golden Sands joined Dawlish Sands as part of
Park Holidays UK Caravan Parks. The name 'Peppermint Park' has gone and the site has been rebranded 'Golden Sands'.
Amenities
Dawlish Warren has a doctor's surgery, a pharmacy and an independent supermarket, along with several gift shops which cater for tourist traffic.
There are a number of restaurants and
takeaway eateries. There are many bars and pubs such as the ''Warren Bridge Inn'' and the ''Mount Pleasant Inn'', which dates from before the 1750s and is located just outside the resort.
Transport

The resort is served by
Dawlish Warren railway station, situated a few minutes from the beach. It lies between the stations of and on the
Riviera Line
The Riviera Line is the railway between the city of Exeter, towns Dawlish and Teignmouth, and the ''English Riviera'' resorts of Torbay in Devon, England. Its tracks are shared with the Exeter to Plymouth Line along the South Devon sea wall. I ...
, a section of the
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs between London Paddington and . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. The GWML is presently a part of t ...
between
London Paddington and in Cornwall. Stopping services are operated by
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
, on a route between
Exmouth
Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort situated on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe, southeast of Exeter.
In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of settl ...
,
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
and
Paignton
Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority, borough of Torbay which was created in 1968. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the Engli ...
.
Dawlish
Dawlish is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Teignbridge district in Devon, England. It is located on the south coast of England at a distance of from the city of Exeter and a similar distance from the to ...
can be reached by a walk south-west along the
South Devon Railway sea wall
The South Devon Railway sea wall is situated on the south coast of Devon in England. A footpath runs alongside the railway between Dawlish Warren and Dawlish, then another footpath forms a continuation to the sea front promenade at Teignmouth. B ...
.
Local bus services are operated predominantly by
Stagecoach South West
Stagecoach South West is a bus operator providing services in Devon and East Cornwall along with coach services to Bristol. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach.
History Devon General
The Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company commenced opera ...
; key routes that serve the town include:
* 22: Dawlish Warren to
South Devon College in
Paignton
Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority, borough of Torbay which was created in 1968. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the Engli ...
* 187: Dawlish Warren to Dawlish
Religion
Although Dawlish Warren is within the civil parish of Dawlish, it lies in the ecclesiastical parish of
Cofton. There is no actual church in Dawlish Warren, but St Mary's Church Hall (St Mary's Church is in Cofton) is located near the resort's railway station. It is used for services and community activities.
References
External links
Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawlish Warren
Villages in Devon
Seaside resorts in England
Spits of England
Beaches of Devon
Dawlish