Life’s a (choice of) beach
East Devon is home to the famous Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site made up of sedimentary rock packed full of fossils from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
Every year it draws visitors from around the world and there are plenty of places along its 96-mile stretch for budding palaeontologists to unearth their own fossilised slice of ancient history.
It’s a lot of fun, but not everyone need follow in the footsteps of Lyme Regis’ celebrated Mary Anning to enjoy this magnificent coastline. You can also sunbathe on the shoreline, enjoy the surf or walk the spectacular cliff tops. Here are our top five beaches to visit when you stay at The Old Bakehouse.
It’s the closest beach to Colyton and you can reach it by using the Seaton Tramway, which runs through the beautiful Axe Valley. Seaton includes a yacht club at the mouth of the River Axe and a long beach front for swimming and walking.
This delightful, tucked away beauty spot is about ten minutes drive from Colyton through narrow lanes. Get there early as the car park fills quickly in peak season. The reward is a gorgeous pebble beach and a cliff top walk which offers stunning views back along the coastline. The village includes the Masons Arms, a great old pub with a good food menu.
Fun fact, Beer is not named after the drink, but from the old English word bearu, meaning grove. It’s a pretty coastal village which grew up around a smugglers cove and caves. Loads to see here, including the Beer Quarry Caves, Pecorama and its model railways, and a walk along picturesque Beer Head, part of the South West Coast Path.
A favourite holiday spot for Queen Victoria, this eternally popular seaside town includes a stunning pebble beach which draws the swimmers all year round. And if swimming isn’t your thing, you can enjoy the tranquil surrounds of nearby Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary, home to more than 500 rescued donkeys!
Home to the aforementioned Victorian fossil finder Ms Anning, this town is one of the biggest draws along the Dorset coastline. There’s plenty to enjoy, including sandy spots, boutique shops and the famous Cobb harbour wall, a breakwater immortalised by Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep when they walked it in the movie The French Lieutenant’s Woman.