East Devon is such a beautiful and varied part of the county. Often overlooked a bit I think, but so pretty and some spots, in particular, are honestly like stepping back in time. We adore it. We have many favourites; we love Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton, and spend lots of time at both. We had a rare day off together this week so we headed to East Devon for some sunshine and an explore. We chose a couple of areas that we haven’t visited in a while. So if you’re looking for a day out in the area, here you go 🙂
Boats, breakfast and beach huts in Beer.
Our first stop was in Beer. This has always been a favourite of mine; it is so pretty and honestly feels like in still exists as it would have done in days gone by. On a random Tuesday it was so peaceful and made for a really lovely couple of hours.
We parked on the far outskirts of the village so that we could wander in and through the lovely main street and soak up the atmosphere and the cute independent shops. There is a lovely deli, bakery, fish and chip shop and several really sweet homeware/beach souvenir shops. There are also a couple of lovely pubs and restaurants, serving good food.
From the main street we headed down the short slope to the beach. Here you get a real sense of history and of Beer’s deep connection with the sea, with the boats lined up on the pebbles, fishing nets and lobster pots scattered across the beach and beautiful stripes beach huts lining the edge of the cliffs. It is so picturesque, and a perfect place to spend some time just ‘being’. Explore further down on the pebbled beach and you get to the stunningly clear water (I wish I had had swimming gear – it was gorgeous!). There are iconic striped deck chairs along the beach too, which you can rent out for an hour, a morning or indeed the day. It is postcard picture perfect.
Closer to the cliffs are several brilliant cafes serving food and drink. We stopped at one for breakfast and coffee. You could not ask for a nicer spot to spend an hour enjoying the fresh air and scoffing an English breakfast. It was so good. If only all Tuesdays started like that… There were plenty of tables available and many with sun umbrellas – equally as good at putting off pesky seagulls as keeping the sun off you!
Back up the slope above the beach, there are public toilets, seating areas, a small children’s playground and paths that lead you along the coastline to pick up other parts of the South West Coast Path.
Lattes, lunch and lazy afternoons in Lyme Regis.
For me Lyme Regis is a huge part of my childhood. I spent many happy days camping in nearby Charmouth and eagerly exploring Lyme Regis, with my pocket money saved up to spend on gem stones and fossils in the famous Fossil Shop at Lyme. It is such a special place and I love the way that you know exactly the atmosphere and feeling you are going to get when you arrive. It is so unique and a really happy and bustling place to spend time.
We parked at the Cobb end of town and then had a really nice walk around the Cobb, all along the seafront and up in to town. The first part of that walk is really flat and easy and there are so so many places to stop for coffee, cake, lunch, ice cream or classic fish and chips. You are literally spoilt for choice when it comes to food in Lyme Regis. We ate at the Rockpoint Inn, which has a lovely covered outdoor space overlooking the water. I had minute steak which was delicious and the other wild one has raved about his prawn sandwich ever since! It was a lovely spot but there are literally cafes and restaurants everywhere so you won’t go hungry. * If you are fan of cake make sure you head to the bakery for Dorset Apple Cake. SO. GOOD. I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!!
Up the main hill there are lots of lovely shops, many of which are independent, cute cafes and bars, and a number of delicious bakeries. It is a really nice high street for browsing.
Other great things to do in Lyme with your wild ones include boat trips (you can do one hour tours, fishing trips and many more), visit the Lifeboat station, crazy golf, time on the beach (there is a lovely soft sandy part to the beach as you head towards the Cobb), and of course fossil hunting (also worth heading to nearby Charmouth for this too).
I absolutely love just wandering and stopping for coffee and soaking it all up in Lyme. It is a very easy place to spend time. Lazy afternoons are few and far between. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy them.
Other areas we love exploring in East Devon:
- Budleigh Salterton for good fish and chips, lovely cafes, long pebbly beach and good swimming.
- Exmouth for long sandy stretches of beach and great ice cream. Also fab for bowling and kid’s indoor and outdoor play.
- Sidmouth. One of my all time favourites. Classic seaside wonderment. Good good and drink everywhere! Lovely walks. For the kids there is a brilliant new play park.
- Seaton for the brilliant Seaton Tramway. Not to be missed with kids.
