Exeter to Sidmouth

Another year, another early start.  It's always exciting, although I've had much earlier starts to catch a 5am train to Scotland.   This time it was merely out of bed at 5am for the first train at 8am.   A rather cold, grey and breezy start, but Louise Lear promised that "West is Best" for today's weather, and so it turned out, with full sun from Gillingham onwards. 

Exeter riverside

Leaving Exeter was very easy - a short hop to the Exe Estuary trail, and I was following the river on a good cycle path.  Exeter has pulled off the trick of being attractive to cycle and hiding the busy city.  Fifteen mainly off-road  miles to Exmouth: past the crematorium where we said goodbye to Mum and Dad, through the pretty village of Topsham, past the Lympstone Marine training base with a fearsome assault course, sometimes beside the river, sometimes on walkways over wetland, sometimes on little village roads.

It's a lovely trail, and was quite popular, with walkers, families on bikes, and a few road cyclists zipping past.  It would make a nice 30 mile loop to do both sides of the estuary and get the ferry from Exmouth to Starcross. 

Exe estuary trail

Looking up the Exe from Exmouth

Exmouth sand

Exmouth is a historic town at the mouth of the Exe.  Historic to my family anyway, as we often came here for birthday outings as children, visiting the exciting playground, boating lake, trampolines and mini train.  It also has a lovely beach with miles of sand, which was packed on this Sunday afternoon.

So far, so flat.  Now the hills started, as I turned east along the coast, or rather, across the hills, to Budleigh Salterton.  Lovely quiet lanes but rarely flat.  I got lucky and found a cycle path along the old Exmouth-Budleigh railway line, deep in a cutting, then unlucky when it turned in an unhelpful direction, and I had to climb rather dangerously up the side of the cutting to the road, with my unwieldy bike.

 

Budleigh Salterton 

Crossing the Otter estuary

 

Exciting bridleway

Budleigh has a long stony beach with unusual disc shaped pebbles, which I've not seen anywhere else.  In my quest to stick near the coast, I discovered a whole new part of the seaside along the wide wetland of the Otter estuary.    Followed it inland and again I was in charming little lanes with a variety of hills and some unsurfaced tracks, leading me to the delightful village of Otterton, which has a stream running down beside the road.

  

Otterton 

Ladram Bay

I didn't have to go to Ladram Bay - it's a dead-end road leading over a big hill to a massive caravan park by the sea.   But the bay is nice, so I did.   Then, one more large hill took me to Peak Hill and a huge descent into Sidmouth.

 

View down to Sidmouth, with sea mist

Sidmouth, where I grew up, together with Exmouth, defined my view of what a seaside town should be like.   Exmouth is the fun place, the mini Blackpool, and Sidmouth sees itself as more, ah, refined - the tourism motto was Select Sidmouth.  More like Lytham St Anne's.  It is very picturesque, nestled between high red cliffs, and it was a great place to grow up, with plenty of opportunities for exploring, fun and mischief.   But those stories are not for here.

I was kind of hoping to do a mini tour of all the significant places in Sidmouth, for old times sake, but it was 4pm and I had places to get to.  I had to settle for a whistle stop tour consisting of a cream tea and a ride along the Esplanade, all very enjoyable.

Jacob's Ladder beach

Esplanade

The mighty River Sid just about makes it
to the sea

Leaving Sidmouth was a double wrench, metaphorical and physical.   The road out, Salcombe Hill Road, goes straight up, without the decency of a diagonal path or zigzags, for 150 metres or so.   I passed through three more valleys, Salcombe Regis and Weston not too bad, and Branscombe, right down to sea level, followed by another brutal hill out, 17% or so, on the road we used to have go-kart races down on our choir camps.  Luckily, it's a very quiet road. 

 

Salcombe Regis 

Branscombe 

Branscombe 

Tonight, I'm staying in a beer-themed youth hostel - yes, that exists!  It's in a whole beer themed village which is actually named Beer.

Very exciting. I set up my tent on the only flat bit of ground, and, naturally, went to the pub.

Beer is actually very picturesque, with a stream running down the main street again, narrower bit more exciting as it's steep and the water rushes along. The red marl of the cliffs, which started at Shaldon / Teignmouth, has now run out and been replaced by whiteish greensand.

 

Beer YH

Beer

Beer

Today's stats: first 15 miles to Exmouth: flat; Exmouth to Sidmouth, 15 miles, exceedingly hilly with 600m climbing; Sidmouth to Beer, 10 miles, also exceedingly hilly with 400m climbing. Tomorrow looks much the same, except without the flat part.