Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Loading...
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
1 day ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
2 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
3 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Devon Burgh Island
AO Edited

Burgh Island

Take a sea tractor to the Art Deco hotel on the island that inspired Agatha Christie.

Devon, England

Added By
Alan Newman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Burgh Island, the hotel, and the sea tractor.   digbygraham/CC BY 2.0
Burgh Island, the hotel, and the sea tractor.   digbygraham/CC BY 2.0
View of Burgh Island from Marine Drive, Bigbury-on-Sea.   Derek Voller/CC BY-SA 2.0
Burgh Island fro Bigbury Beach, low tide.   Hugh Venables/CC BY-SA 2.0
Just below the hotel is a pill box built in World War II.   Tony Atkin/CC BY-SA 2.0
Burgh Island from the coast path at Bigbury, tide coming in.   Derek Harper/CC BY-SA 2.0
The Pilchard Inn, a 14th-century inn and smugglers haunt, now part of the hotel.   DerekVoller/CC BY-SA 2.0
The Art Deco hotel gates.   Chris Downer/CC BY-SA 2.0
Sea tractor on the slipway.   Derek Voller/CC BY-SA 2.0
The sea tractor in action.   DeFacto/CC BY 4.0
Peacok Bar in the hotel.   Andrew Norman/CC BY-SA 2.0
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Burgh Island is a small tidal island near Bigbury-on-Sea in England, which is remembered for its association with Agatha Christie and its grand Art Deco hotel. 

The famous author loved the place so much she used it as inspiration for the location of one of her most famous novels, Evil Under the Sun. Several other literary notables, such as Noel Coward, have visited the island. It’s reputed that Prime Minister Winston Churchill and then General Dwight D. Eisenhower met on Burgh Island just before D-Day.

Today the island, which is about 270 yards across Bigbury Beach, is mainly known for two remarkable features: the fantastic, if expensive Art Deco-style Burgh Island Hotel and the unusual means by which the hotel gets its visitors to the island when the tide is high.

Guests are transported to the island via a sea tractor, which drives across the sand with its wheels submerged while the driver and passengers sit on an elevated platform above the waves. There have been three incarnations of this unique transport system. In the latest version, power from a tractor engine is transmitted to the wheels by hydraulic motors.

The hotel is a fantastic example of Art Deco style, and it clearly was the main attraction for the island's famous visitors. It was built in the 1930s with a few subsequent additions including a room created from the captain's cabin of the 1891 warship HMS Ganges. It has recently acquired the nearby Pilchard Inn, a 14th-century smugglers haunt.

Related Tags

Islands Art Deco Hotels Literature Books Transportation Places To Stay

Know Before You Go

The GPS coordinates lead to the historic Burgh Island Hotel.

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

jjay2627, Braecrest, kml33, Kerry Wolfe...

  • jjay2627
  • Braecrest
  • kml33
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • rbenn250
  • mbqccd46mp

Published

September 7, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.burghisland.com/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgh_Island_Hotel
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgh_Island
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_tractor
Burgh Island
Burgh Island
Devon, England
United Kingdom
50.27984, -3.900395
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Exercise Tiger Memorial

Devon, England

miles away

Ruins of Hallsands

Hallsands, England

miles away

The Leviathan

Plymouth, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Devon

Devon

England

Places 14
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Exercise Tiger Memorial

Devon, England

miles away

Ruins of Hallsands

Hallsands, England

miles away

The Leviathan

Plymouth, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Devon

Devon

England

Places 14
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

The Unique 'Sea Tractor' That Carries Passengers Over the Waves

hotels

By Sarah Laskow

11 'Sometimes' Islands You Can Walk to at Low Tide

List

By Meg Neal

Related Places

  • Bemelmans Bar

    New York, New York

    Bemelmans Bar

    The walls are decorated with whimsical murals painted by the creator of the Madeline franchise.

  • Tokyo, Japan

    Book and Bed Hostel

    If you forgot something to read during your trip to Tokyo, this hostel has you covered.

  • The view of the hotel from Brown Bart Gardens.

    London, England

    The Beaumont Hotel

    This five-star hotel was originally a swanky parking garage.

  • The Open Book.

    Wigtown, Scotland

    The Open Book

    This seaside Scottish holiday rental lets you live out your bookselling dreams.

  • The hotel entrance.

    Istanbul, Turkey

    Pera Palace Hotel

    This historic hotel preserves many treasures from its heyday hosting passengers on the Orient Express.

  • One of the guest bedrooms.

    Hawarden, Wales

    Gladstone's Library

    At the United Kingdom's only residential library you can sleep among the books.

  • San Nicolas Island

    Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California

    San Nicolas Island

    A stranded woman lived alone on this remote island for 18 years, inspiring the great children's novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins."

  • Talmud Business Hotel

    Taichung City, Taiwan

    Talmud Business Hotel

    A hotel in Taiwan based on the better business practices that can be gleaned from Jewish law.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.