Route Highlight

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.

Highlights include a white wooden staircase called Jacob’s Ladder that climbs to a sequence of clifftop gardens with fine views over the pebble-and-red-sand beaches. Look out for colourful street musicians around the time of the annual international folk festival each summer.

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.

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.

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.

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