Teignmouth to Sidmouth

When we finished our last walk along the South West Coast Path back in May, we had some unfinished business in that we ended up in Teignmouth, just 7.5 miles short of the more commonly used end-of-stage point of the Exe Estuary. In addition, we were attracted by the idea of visiting some of the seaside resorts of south Devon out of season. Finally, we had discovered Thomas Luny House in Teignmouth and were keen to return to this very special B&B [which, sadly, has since closed]. So we decided to go back in the winter.

Our first idea was to drive to Teignmouth for two nights at Thomas Luny House, and on the day between to walk from Teignmouth to Starcross, via Dawlish - but it seemed a long way to go for such a short walk. The next idea was to walk all the way to Lyme Regis (thus completing the South Devon stretch of the South West Coast Path) but the section past Sidmouth is notoriously difficult walking, and I wasn't keen on doing it in the middle of winter. The final plan was a long weekend, with relatively short and easy walks from Teignmouth to the Exe, from the Exe to Budleigh Salterton and from Budleigh Salterton to Sidmouth. We would spend two nights in Teignmouth and one in Budleigh Salterton so make some use of public transport in getting to and from our intermediate end/start points.

About a week before our little holiday, there was serious flooding in Devon, and the news showed pictures of rain pouring over the train track at Cowley Bridge, just outside Exeter. Amazingly, they had relaid the track and we travelled to Exeter by train. There had also been a series of landslips onto the railway line between Dawlish and Teignmouth, and line had not been cleared quite in time. So beyond Exeter, we had to take a rail replacement bus. This was incredibly slow (it took an hour to get out of Exeter) but the driver was lovely and we got to Teignmouth in plenty of time for a welcome cup of tea at Thomas Luny House, a delicious meal at The Owl and the Pussycat, and a wander along the seafront after dark, very pleased we had decided to come this weekend not last!

We had some drizzle on our middle day of walking, but otherwise the weather was good. Unsurprisingly, the path was muddy in places, but in general the walking was far more interesting than we'd expected. We walked alongside and on top of dark red sandstone cliffs, further than strictly necessary up the estuary of the River Exe and through the genteel seaside resorts of Teignmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth. Exmouth is busier, but I like holiday resorts out of season - this was definitely a good time to come. Added interest was provided by the fact that we walked past the location of the recent landslips by the railway, and the highlight was the fact that, although it was winter, towards the end of our walk we were on ‘proper’ (non-tarmacked and undulating) footpaths through unspoilt countryside.

First day of this leg

Following leg of South West Coast Path (Sidmouth to Ferry Bridge)