Atlantic Highway: Barnstaple to Newquay

About this drive

The Atlantic Highway is the informal name for the A39 running along the North Devon and North Cornwall coasts between Barnstaple and Newquay — a stretch of road that trades direct speed for an elevated corridor above the Atlantic with views that catch you off guard on clear days. The road is properly rural in character: hedgerow-lined lanes, occasional passing places, and the familiar Devon experience of rounding a corner to find a tractor filling both sides. The best sections are around Hartland Point and Bude, where the road comes closest to the clifftops and the Atlantic appears between the fields. The north Cornwall coast from Bude south to Newquay has the most dramatic cliff scenery in the southwest — steep slate headlands dropping to surf beaches that have made the area a surfing destination since the 1960s. Newquay is the commercial end of the drive; Bude, at the Devon-Cornwall border, is quieter and more rewarding as an overnight stop. The drive connects best with a wider North Cornwall and Exmoor itinerary — Hartland Quay and Boscastle are both short detours worth taking.