Teignmouth Back Beach Webcam – Boats on the Teign Estuary

The Teignmouth Back Beach Webcam looks west from the harbour side of Teignmouth, in South Devon, up the estuary of the River Teign toward Dartmoor. Small boats sit on their moorings in the foreground, from open dinghies and inflatables to little cabin boats, with two yachts and a line of floating pontoons beyond them. Shaldon Bridge runs low across the river in the distance, the houses of Shaldon line the far shore on the left, and the port’s quay fills the right of the frame, where cargo ships tie up under the hillside streets of Teignmouth. Red and orange mooring buoys dot the water, and the tide changes how the boats lie through the day. Because the camera faces west, Coast Cams says its Salty Cottage Cam is a camera for sunsets and for views up the estuary to Dartmoor.

About Teignmouth Back Beach

Back Beach wraps around the spit at the mouth of the Teign, on the sheltered harbour side of the town rather than the open seafront. It looks over the moorings and up the estuary, and it is where the passenger ferry to Shaldon leaves from. Teignmouth had 14,932 residents at the 2021 Census and lies about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south of Exeter. The port has worked since the 13th century and still handles clay, timber and grain. Ball clay once came down to it by barge along the Stover Canal, opened in 1792, and Dartmoor granite for London Bridge was shipped from the New Quay, built between 1821 and 1825 by George Templer.

Shaldon Bridge, the long, low crossing in the middle distance, first opened on 8 June 1827. At 509 meters (1,671 feet), with 34 wooden arches, it was then the longest wooden bridge in England. Shipworm ate into the timbers and the center arches collapsed in 1838, and the rebuilt wooden bridge partly collapsed again in 1893. It was rebuilt in steel and concrete by 1931, and its tolls were abolished in 1948. Shaldon, on the far shore, grew up around fishing: houses on its Marine Parade were built by a Newfoundland fishing company for its workers, each with a share of the beach for nets and boats. Some fishing still goes on from the Teignmouth side of the river, where small boats are pulled up on the beach.

Weather and Climate in Teignmouth

Teignmouth has a mild, damp coastal climate. Met Office averages for the town’s own weather station (1991 to 2020) put January highs at 9.7°C (49.5°F) and lows at 4.2°C (39.6°F), so the waterfront rarely sees hard frost. Winter is the grey season, with only about 59 hours of sunshine in December, and rain and low cloud can hide the bridge and the far shore, leaving only the nearest moorings sharp. Spring warms slowly, with April highs near 13.4°C (56.1°F) and lows around 6.5°C (43.7°F).

Summer is the brightest time of year. July averages highs of 21.1°C (70°F) and lows of 13.7°C (56.7°F), and June brings about 220 hours of sunshine, part of roughly 1,737 hours a year. On clear evenings the sun goes down over the estuary in front of the camera. Autumn stays mild into October, with highs near 15.7°C (60.3°F) and lows near 9.6°C (49.3°F). Rainfall averages about 873 millimeters (34.4 inches) a year.

Things to Do Near Teignmouth Back Beach

The Teign ferry crosses from Back Beach to Shaldon. A passenger ferry has run here since at least the 13th century, and the boats still carry a black and white gunport design added after the Napoleonic Wars to make them look like warships. It runs all year except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, so check the times before setting off. On the Shaldon side, Marine Parade leads to the Ness, a red sandstone headland, and to the Smuggler’s Tunnel, cut in the 1860s for the 8th Lord Clifford of Chudleigh to reach the private Ness beach. Despite the name, it carried limestone to a kiln rather than contraband. Close by, the Shaldon Wildlife Trust runs a small zoo of about an acre that cares for endangered small animals, and the Botanical Gardens laid out by the Homeyard family climb the hill in terraces to a folly called Shaldon Castle.

Back in Teignmouth, the promenade runs from the harbour past the lifeboat station and along the Den, where Den Crescent and its Assembly Rooms were laid out in 1826 and Franz Liszt played in 1840. The poet John Keats lived in the town while writing Endymion. The South West Coast Path’s 5.3 kilometer (3.3 mile) “Explore Shaldon from Teignmouth” walk links the station, the seafront, the ferry and Shaldon in one mostly flat loop. North of the town, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s railway, opened in 1846, runs along a stone sea wall toward Dawlish.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

These cameras cover more harbours and seafronts along the Devon coast.

• Dartmouth Harbour Webcam
• Dawlish Webcam
• Plymouth Hoe Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Teignmouth Back Beach located?

Back Beach is on the harbour side of Teignmouth, a town of about 15,000 people on the south coast of Devon, England, where the River Teign meets the sea. It lies about 19 kilometers (12 miles) south of Exeter.

What can you see on the Teignmouth Back Beach Webcam?

Moored boats fill the foreground, with yachts and pontoons behind them. Shaldon Bridge crosses the estuary in the distance, Shaldon lines the far shore on the left, and the quay where cargo ships berth is on the right, below the houses of Teignmouth.

What is the weather like in Teignmouth?

Mild for England. At the town’s Met Office station, January highs average 9.7°C (49.5°F) and July highs 21.1°C (70°F), with about 873 millimeters (34.4 inches) of rain and around 1,737 hours of sunshine a year.

What is the bridge across the river at Teignmouth?

It is Shaldon Bridge, which carries the road between Teignmouth and Shaldon across the Teign. The first bridge opened in 1827 as the longest wooden bridge in England, and the present steel and concrete bridge was completed in 1931.

How do you get from Teignmouth to Shaldon?

The quickest way is the passenger ferry from Back Beach, which runs all year except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. By road or on foot, Shaldon Bridge crosses the river upstream of the camera.

Is Teignmouth still a working port?

Yes. Teignmouth has been a port since the 13th century and still handles clay, timber and grain. Ships berth at the quay on the right of the camera’s view, while the moorings off Back Beach hold small leisure and fishing boats.

When is the best time to watch the Teignmouth Back Beach Webcam?

Evening, on a clear day. The camera faces west up the estuary, and Coast Cams describes it as a camera for sunsets and for views toward Dartmoor. Daylight hours bring the most movement, with boats leaving and returning to their moorings.

Source: Coast Cams