HomeAxe Harbour
The Axe Estuary is a favoured haunt for bird-watchers and provides a well protected mooring for small boats.
Welcome to East Devon
East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Photograph
The Area
OUR LOVELY AREA — EAST DEVON/WEST DORSETEast Devon is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its special landscape has been protected to preserve and enhance its natural beauty. W.Dorset/E.Devon offers the most beautiful and unspoilt stretch of scenic ‘JURASSIC‘ coastline with dramatic contrasting red and white cliffs, surrounding spectacular countryside, dotted with picturesque villages and small historic towns. Suiting a variety of visitors of all ages — couples, families, ramblers/nature lovers and sports enthusiasts. Interesting shops retaining personal care and service. Traditional Devon/Dorset Fare — scrumpy, real ale, clotted cream, cheese, dairy ice cream, fudge, toffee, pasties, Dorset Knobs and biscuits all to mention but a few! Plenty of Devon Cream Teas. BEER: Unspoilt picturesque fishing Village of smugglers and lace making fame. Small brook flows down through the village to the sea, with small bay and sheltered pebble beach, nestling between striking chalk cliffs of Seaton Hole and Beer Head, pleasure boats, fishing trips freshly caught crabs, lobsters and fish for sale. Interesting Roman quarry caves. Miniature and model railways, pleasure gardens, Art Galleries, Antiques, Inns and restaurants. BRANSCOMBE: Small peaceful Village, one of the longest in the country surrounded by National Trust land, of spectacular cliffs, downs and wooded combes. Coastal paths to Beer and Sidmouth. Spacious pebbly beach. 12th Century Church, two traditional Inns, seaside Restaurant, Old Bakery Mill and Forge tearooms. SEATON: Pretty, little friendly Seaside Town, the first in East Devon from Dorset, situated at the mouth of the River Axe overlooking the spectacular Lyme Bay. Bright, relaxed and uncommercialized resort with mixture of Victorian & Edwardian architecture and pedestrianised town centre. Superb mile long pebble beach with promenade with rock pools at Seaton Hole on the western end. Unique scenic walks along the South West Coastal Path to Lyme Regis by the famous Landslip and over the cliffs to Beer. Open top tram travels by the beautiful River Axe Valley, the new Nature Reserve for wildlife enthusiasts – a bird lovers paradise to nearby Colyford and Colyton. Many amenities:- Golf Course, Putting, Bowling, Tennis, Fishing, Sailing, Windsurfing. Weekly Summer open market, Heritage Museum, Sea Discovery centre. Picture Village of AXMOUTH with two popular Inns, is a lovely walk along the Estuary. COLYTON: Olde Worlde Town steeped in history – dating back to Saxon times. More of a village with quaint shops, fine art galleries, antiques, local rural crafts, garden shops, inns and eateries. Traditional Tannery with leather shop, Church of outstanding architecture. Fine walks in superb countryside and by fields on the River Coly. Electric Tramway runs along the Axe Valley to coast at Seaton 3 miles away. En route is the interesting sister village of COLYFORD with Nature Reserve and Holyford Woods. |
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LYME REGIS: Called the “Pearl of Dorset” – last resort before Devon. An ancient medieval trading port, now small seaside town with famous Cobb (of French Lieutenant’s Woman fame) sheltering the harbour and boats. The town is built into fossil rich cliffs and boasts of being the centre of varied scenery with beautiful beaches. Popular coastal footpath to Seaton along a Nature Reserve 6-7 miles, part of the Heritage Coast footpaths stretching over 20 miles to East & West of Lyme. Wide choice of amenities and much to explore and see. Fascinating fossil shops, Philpot Museum, Dinosaurland plus Regent Cinema and Marine Theatre and more! Neighbouring town of CHARMOUTH has a Heritage Coast Information Centre with guided walks and events. Further on is the thriving historical market town of BRIDPORT a great place to browse and shop for local produce. 5 minutes to WEST BAY Harbour, with stunning scenic views of the Golden Cap.
SIDMOUTH: Elegant Regency Seaside Town, flanked by the red cliff coastline and green hills of the beautiful Sid Valley, with pebble and sand beaches, and level seafront promenade. Sidmouth has much to offer – an excellent variety of shops, selection of inns, restaurants and cafes. Amenities of Golf Course, Bowling, Indoor Swimming Pool, Tennis Courts, Theatre, Cinema, Parks and Gardens. Famous annual International Folk Festival. Just out of Sidmouth are the Norman Lockyer Observatory and the renowned Donkey Sanctuary. Coastal resorts of Budleigh, Exmouth, Branscombe and Beer are all within easy reach.
NEWTON POPPLEFORD: A long village in the Otter valley, attractive rural setting of mainly farmland, with a ridge of heathland to the west and wooded hills to the east. This popular village has a Post Office, friendly shops, inns, restaurants and tearooms.
AXMINSTER: Small ancient market Town, surrounded by beautiful countryside just 5 miles from coasts at Seaton, Beer and Lyme Regis. Browse around the individual specialist shops and weekly street and livestock Markets. Plus modern amenities of Indoor Swimming Pool, Sports Complex and supermarkets. Visit the showroom of the internationally famous Axminster Carpets. Close to borders of Dorset and Somerset – an ideal touring centre for all three Counties. Mainline station from Waterloo.
HONITON: Busy market Town, dating from Medieval
times and renowned for being the
major Antiques Centre in the South West. Interesting variety specialist
shops for lace (world famous), pottery, antiques. Excellent Museum, Indoor
Swimming Pool, Golf Course, Award winning Aquatic Centre at nearby Escot
Country Park. Also, Farway
Countryside Park, with woodland nature trails a 10 minute drive away. Beaches
at
Seaton, Beer & Sidmouth all within 10 miles. Mainline station from Waterloo.
SOUTH WEST COAST PATH
The South West Coast Path National Trail is a 630-mile adventure around
the coastline of the south-west peninsula. From Minehead on the edge of
the Exmoor National Park all the way to the shores of Poole Harbour, it
is simply the best way to enjoy the
scenery, wildlife and heritage of this wonderful coastline.
© Countryside Agency / Caroline Shipsey
In our local area it takes in the entire coastline of the East Devon Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty and of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site
which extends from Exmouth to just beyond Swanage in Dorset. It provides
a continuous walking route
which is just as suitable for gentle meandering as it is for dedicated walkers
on longer hikes. There is so much to view and enjoy. The contrasting scenery
with dramatic cliffs, rich flora and fauna, magnificent beaches, quaint
villages and towns - all these and so much more lie on the route of the
South West Coast Path, which is well signed with
the acorn symbol used for all National Trails.
Operating within East Devon/West Dorset
A high quality bus service operating between Exeter and Poole/Bournemouth. Operated by new low floor double deck buses offering a 2 hourly service throughout the week. Provides access throughout the World Heritage Site. This service is designed to help visitors enjoy the Jurassic Coast experience which is further enhanced by stunning views from the top deck.