Hidden within the cliffs of Ilfracombe, you’ll find one of the North Devon coastline’s most remarkable landmarks. Well, actually – you won’t find it. Unless you’re getting married. Confused? Here’s why.
What are Tunnels Beaches?
Tunnels Beaches are a network of hand-carved tunnels leading to a pair of unique, sheltered beaches, the “Gentlemen’s Beach” and “Ladies’ Beach”, which historically separated bathers into their respective genders. These were accessed from different directions, which created a unique sense of privacy for beachgoers. Both were built with Victorian tidal swimming pools, with the larger of the two on the Ladies’ Beach side.
Tunnels Beaches were created in 1823 by local entrepreneurs, who employed Welsh miners to carve the tunnels and then build the tidal pools. It took two years to build the passageways, with over 960 cubic metres of stone removed by hand.
They have operated as a business ever since. The current owners, Zoe and Jamie McLintock, purchased the site in 2001, having grown up in Barnstaple and Ilfracombe. They decided to shift focus onto weddings as a potential revenue stream after witnessing the unsustainable nature of the core beach attraction business.
Why were they created?
Victorian England saw a massive rise in the popularity of sea bathing, but there was strict social etiquette involved in the activity. Men and women bathed separately, and bathing machines – wooden huts on wheels, drawn by horses – allowed beachgoers to get dressed in privacy and step discreetly into the water.
In the mid-19th century, Ilfracombe had evolved from a small fishing village into a thriving holiday resort – with Tunnels Beaches playing a significant role in this transformation. Professor Harry Parker – the eccentric, three-time All-England Swimming Champion of the 1870s (and escape artist) – frequented Tunnels Beaches, performing his displays of “ornamental swimming” to the viewing public.
Why are Tunnels Beaches closed to the public?
The Tunnels Beaches were closed to day visitors in 2025 due to significant rockfalls. The attraction has continued to play host to weddings and overnight visitors to the Tunnels Beaches self-catered accommodation, but the public Ladies’ Beach at Tunnels Beaches has been closed to the public for the foreseeable future due to dangerous rockfalls and unstable cliffs. Owners Zoe and Jamie McLintock explained the reasons for the closure on the Tunnels Beaches website here, stating that they didn’t know whether they’d be able to open the Ladies’ Beach to the public again.
Wedding couples and their guests can still access the Victorian tidal pool via the Gentlemen’s Beach from mid-tide, when the pool appears. This is safely away from the dangerous area of rockfall at the top of the Ladies’ Beach.
In 2025, 50 tonnes of rock fell from 30m above Ladies’ Beach, posing significant risk of injury. Fortunately, no-one was hurt during the rockfall, and the debris was cleared, but the risk of further rockfall remains high.
Weddings are still able to take place at the wedding facility on the neighbouring Gentlemen’s Beach, because it is currently unaffected by the cliff risks.
Top image: View of tunnels beach Tidal Pool from Beacons Castle, Ilfracombe, Devon (Photo by Tessa Bunney/In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
