Dawlish Warren

Stretching across the mouth of the River Exe, this curling spit of sand is one of the southwest's best birdwatching locations. Its dunes, grasslands, salt marshes and mudflats attract thousands of wildfowl and wading birds.

Fringing the spit is over a mile of white sand. It's livelier at the western end – home to a small funfair – but the other end is deliciously crowd-free.

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