Walk - Sidmouth to Seaton

Highlights

• Enjoying the architecture in the Regency town of Sidmouth.
• Looking out for linnets and stonechats in the yellow gorse.
• Views from Salcombe Hill Cliff back along the South Devon coast to Torbay and ahead along the red cliffs towards Dorset.
• Crossing the wild little valley of Lincombe, an area visited by green woodpeckers.
• Resting on the pebbly beach of Weston Mouth.
• The exquisite flowers, grasses and butterflies of the Weston Wildflower Meadow.
• The remains of Berry Cliff Camp: an Iron Age hill fort.
• Resting on the beach under vast cliffs at Branscombe Mouth. Once a busy area for smuggling, the seas here have been more recently known for the stricken container ship the MSC Napoli.
• Looking down to the breathtaking views from Hooken Cliff. This dramatic slope of woodland and white rock was formed by a landslide in 1790.
• Views from Beer Head over Seaton Bay.
• The dramatic, exposed chalk cliffs of Beer. This fishing village, which was the birthplace of the notorious smuggler Jack Rattenbury, also known as "The Rob Roy of the West", is protected from winds by the enormous cliffs. The creamy white stone from Beer Caves has been quarried for centuries as it is very easy to carve, and can be seen in the cathedral of Exeter, as well as Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s. You can visit the Beer Caves, which were first used by the Romans, open daily from March to October.
• There is a short permanent diversion of the footpath at the Old Beer Road between Beer and Seaton.
• The traditional seaside town of Seaton: here you will find welcome refreshments at the end of your day as well as the attractive Jubilee Gardens, some interesting shops and a museum, which is open Monday to Friday from May to October and has many fascinating old photographs of the area. Further up the Axe Estuary, the Seaton Marshes teem with birdlife, dragonflies and butterflies.

Shorter option

Beer (8.8 miles, 14.2 km).

Longer option

Continue to Lyme Regis (an additional tough 7.1 miles, 11.4 km).

Public transport

The nearest mainline train station in the cathedral city of Exeter. After a 10 minute walk or bus ride into the city centre, you can then catch one of the regular buses to Sidmouth or Seaton. For timetable information, zoom in on the interactive map and click on the train station and bus stop symbols, visit Traveline or phone 0871 200 22 33.

Parking

Sidmouth, Branscombe Mouth, just beyond Beer Head, Beer and Seaton.