Route Highlight
Axmouth, Seaton and Beer
Once an important international port, Axmouth is now a sleepy waterside village of stone cottages. Look for the photogenic spot where the River Axe curves through pebbles to the sea.
Today Axmouth is overshadowed by the newer town on the west bank of the river. Seaton’s whitewashed Victorian shops and cafes fill twisting streets behind its one-mile pebble beach. The highlight is an eccentric electric tram that runs for three miles along the marshy Axe Valley.
Pick of the trio though is Beer, with its long charming main street leading to a small photogenic stony beach where fishing boats are pulled up between white cliffs.
During your trip
Other Route Highlights
Exeter
With its iconic Gothic Cathedral in a relaxed pedestrianised Close, vibrant river waterfront and a huge bustling shopping zone, Exeter is one of the west’s urban highlights.
Sidmouth
Framed by high red sandstone cliffs, Sidmouth’s elegant Regency houses and hotels line a classic esplanade with a busy labyrinth of shopping streets behind. They lead northwards towards the picturesque Sid Valley.
Exmouth
The two miles of seafront from a glossy yacht marina at the mouth of the Exe to the weathered red cliffs at Orcombe headland make an interesting drive – or a bracing walk.
Topsham and the Exe Estuary
Villages lining the Exe Estuary offer pubs with watery views, boat trips and scenic walks. Explore and you’ll see why the estuary landscape is a little-known highlight of the west country.
