South Walk: Sidmouth to Exmouth

Saturday January 10th 2009!! Well Christmas has come and gone - my belts are a bit tighter and with all the Calendar nonsense over and done with - I am glad to be back on the path with two thirds of the whole walk still to do.

We are in the middle of a real cold snap - so I made sure I had ample warm clothing before heading back to Sidmouth for an early start. It was going to be a bright crisp day - once the sun had come up - but at 7:45am it was still very cold and Sidmouth was deserted - not a Zimmer frame in sight.

From the end of the promenade - I joined the Clifton Walkway path around the sheer redstone cliffs to reach the well known Jacobs Ladder and Connaught Beach.

With the first steep climb out of Sidmouth - I could tell I hadn't walked much for a few weeks - but the exertions warmed me up and I was soon back on the pace and heading across High Peak Cliffs en route to Ladram Bay. This was still Jurassic Coast territory and very dramatic it was, in the early light of the day.

What rather spoilt the stunning coastline was the " boil on the baby's backside" that is Ladram Bay Caravan Park! It is the most incongruous piece of tourism that you could possibly conceive. Scattered along the coast path are splendid signs promoting the beauty of East Devon and Ladram Bays Jurassic Coast - but not one picture shows the valleyfull of tourist tin cans. It is a real shame - but, if you can put up with your immediate surroundings of cooped up kids overdosing on Coca Cola - it would make for a splendid base for a holiday - with the emphasis on the word "base".

The Rock formations at Ladram Bay reminded me of the area around Lulworth Cove, albeit in red! Beyond the Caravan Park the stretch towards Budleigh Salterton was very scenic encompassing an old smuggling route called Brandy Head and Chisel Bay.

This was a path that I had walked before, but many years ago and it didn't take long to reach Budleigh Salterton - again - a familiar place. The path headed inland up the mouth of the River Otter to a bridge crossing over and then down the other side to reach Budleigh seafront. This is a splendid area for birdwatching, and there are several hides available for twitchers to chill out.

Budleigh is very picturesque with splendid Georgian and Victorian buildings and a long stony beach.

It was definitely time for a Coffee stop - and Budleigh is a perfect for place for an old fashioned tea room. I am sure I would have had a splendid Cream Tea at the "Cosy Tea Pot" but it was too early for that - so settled for a lovely round of toast and butter instead.

Back on the path - it was another 5 miles to reach Exmouth - and plenty more Redstone cliffs to enjoy. unfortunately, before I reached Exmouth, there was Sandy Bay to navigate. Of course, I have seen this abomination of a Caravan Park before, so it didn't come as a great suprise, - yet another Devon Council's planning disaster area - a complete scar on the landscape that should just be flattened, or alternatively the whole lot could be relocated to Dover - with the addition of 10ft high barbed wire, it would make a splendid immigration centre for asylum seekers!

Eventually, I dropped down from the cliffs to the start of Exmouth's promenade. By now, it was quite bright and had warmed up considerably, so the beach was full of dog walkers and people enjoying the sea air. As I strolled along, I bumped into Marie Weeks and her daughter Lauren. They were busy looking after two young boys. Lauren cares for them, one day a month on a regular basis and they are both autistic, so need alot of looking after. Of course, on a nice day - the sand at Exmouth is a great attraction and apparently kept the youngsters well amused. Marie was well agitated, as she had just had to brave the Gents Lavatory so that one of the boys could spend a penny! The Ladies was closed. Where's Jeff, when you need him!

I pressed on towards the Quay. The main SW coast path route is to take the Exmouth - Starcross Ferry across the Exe, which is a bit strange as I thought it would have gone up the estuary to Topsham. Anyway - being out of season, the Ferry was not in service, so I decided to get the bus back to Sidmouth and pick the car up and then make my way round to Starcross. As it happened, by the time I'd done that - the afternoon had nearly gone - so decided to make an early start in the morning!