Getting there & around
London Waterloo and Paddington,
Birmingham New Street, Cardiff Central,
Penzance and Newcastle all have direct
trains to Exeter. The Avocet Line is a
useful local rail service from Exeter to
Exmouth, with stops including Topsham
and Lympstone.When to go
With its mild maritime climate, Devon is
a year-round destination although four
seasons can be experienced in one day
pretty much any time of year. The
Sidmouth Folk Festival is held every
summer (29 July to 5 August, 2022).
Winter is good for birdwatching on the
Exe Estuary. sidmouthfolkfestival.co.ukPlaces mentioned
Rock Solid Coasteering (sessions from
£40 per person). rocksolidcoasteering.uk
Exeter Red Coat Guided Tours.
exeter.gov.uk
Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art
Gallery. rammuseum.org.uk
Exeter Cathedral.
exeter-cathedral.org.uk
Two Drifters. twodriftersrum.com
The Salutation Inn.
salutationtopsham.co.uk
RSPB Bowling Green Marsh. rspb.org.uk
The Bicton Inn. bictoninn.co.uk
Lyme Regis Museum.
lymeregismuseum.co.ukWhere to stay
The Turks Head, Exeter, from £85, room
only. turksheadexeter.com
Hotel Riviera, Sidmouth, from £120,
B&B. hotelriviera.co.ukMore info
Slow Travel, East Devon & The Jurassic
Coast (Bradt Travel Guides), £14.99.
Visit Devon. visitdevon.co.ukHow to do it
LYMPSTONE MANOR offers one night in
a double room including breakfast, and
an a la carte dinner at its Michael
Caines-helmed Michelin-starred
restaurant and a complimentary gin tray
for £650. Afternoon tea costs an
additional £49.50 per person.
lympstonemanor.co.ukESSENTIALS
SidmouthMaidencombeTopshamLymRegise
RSPB BOGREEN MWARSHLINGEXETERDEVONLyme BayExeEstuary JURASSIC^ COASTKUINNGITDEODM
5 miles DEVONFair weather has returned by the time I reach
Sidmouth, a little further along the coast, where the
resort’s aspic-preserved seaside charms remain strong.
Well-heeled holidaymakers — not least a young Queen
Victoria — have been coming here for centuries, and
elegant, flower-filled hotels still gaze out from the
seafront. At sunset, I watch the sandstone bluffs to the
west of town glow an incongruous Uluru-orange.
Outwardly, at least, this is still the Devon of bandstands
and bathing machines. “It’s in a time warp, but in a good
way,” laughs sharply dressed town clerk Chris Holland, a
man who’s been part of the local brass band since the age
of 11. With the resort is spread out beneath us, he tells me
how the pandemic has meant more and more people have
been discovering towns along the coast. “It’s a really good
thing,” he says. “Somewhere like Sidmouth stays with
you.” Chris looks down at the esplanade. “I’ve lived here
all my life, and I still need to see the sea each day,” he says.
“Just to check it’s still there.”
It’s true that the presence of the sea becomes addictive.
On the way home, I decide to stop off in Lyme Regis. It’s
a (prehistoric) stone’s throw from Devon itself, but on the
basis that geology doesn’t recognise county borders, it
feels an apt place to visit. Here, as much as anywhere, the
region’s multilayered history is on full show. I walk past
a long line of pastel-painted beach huts to reach Lyme
Regis Museum, which tells tales of smugglers’ ships,
naval brigs and British palaeontologist Mary Anning,
portrayed by Kate Winslet in the 2020 film Ammonite.
The museum sits in what was once Anning’s home, and I
follow the advice of a staff member to wander out to Black
Ven, a nearby undercliff. “Erosion means there are always
new fossils being exposed,” she explains. It’s early evening
and there are seven others searching the rocks, as a stiff
breeze comes in off the sea. After 20 minutes, with the light
getting dimmer, I turn a stone and find a partial ammonite
imprint the size of my thumb. It’s not the prettiest find
— or the most intact — but it represents about 70 million
years’ worth of history, and that’ll do me.
ABOVE: Sunset on
the Exe Estuary at
Lympstone ManorILLUSTRATION:JOHNPLUMER128 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
DEVON