Future of Shoalstone Pool café up for grabs

The team behind one of Devon’s best-loved seaside swimming spots is looking for new operators to run its café and poolside kiosk ahead of a landmark year for the historic site.

The charitable organisation managing Shoalstone Seawater Pool in Brixham has launched a tender process inviting businesses to take on the restaurant/café and refreshment kiosk overlooking the popular tidal pool.

Trustees at Shoalstone Pool CIO say they are keen to find a “dynamic, creative and forward looking” licensee who can help turn the café into a vibrant destination while supporting the wider activities taking place around the pool.

The open-air seawater pool is a long-standing community asset on Berry Head Road, attracting thousands of swimmers and visitors each year, particularly during the summer months. In recent years the site has also developed a growing reputation as a hub for wellbeing activities, with cold water swimming, fitness sessions and other classes taking place throughout the year.

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Trustees say the new operator should share a strong commitment to the local community and bring forward ideas to expand catering opportunities while helping create a sustainable business.

The café building sits beside the pool and includes indoor seating for up to 16 customers, with space for around 24 more outside on the terrace, as well as a roof terrace and access to the surrounding green areas. Visitors can also take food away or enjoy picnics in the grounds.

Alongside the café, a separate kiosk at the western end of the site provides a smaller space to serve refreshments such as drinks, ice cream and snacks to swimmers and beachgoers.

Applicants can bid to operate either the café, the kiosk, or both together. Trustees say they are particularly interested in operators willing to work in partnership with the charity to support events such as wellbeing days and twilight swims, which are increasingly popular with visitors.

The opportunity comes as the iconic tidal pool approaches its centenary in 2026, with celebrations and special events already being planned to mark 100 years since it opened in its current form.

The pool itself has much older roots. Bathers have used the natural rock pool on the site since Victorian times, with retaining walls built in the late 19th century to create the tidal swimming area that eventually evolved into today’s Shoalstone Pool.

Shoalstone Pool CIO manages the site on a day-to-day basis under a sub-lease from Brixham Town Council, while Torbay Council remains the freeholder.

The charity hopes the new café and kiosk operators will play a key role in the next chapter of the pool’s story, helping to enhance the visitor experience while contributing to the running costs of the free-to-use community facility.

Applications for the licences close on March 13, with shortlisted bidders invited to present their proposals to trustees later in the month.