Walking the Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast runs from Orcombe Point at Exmouth east to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset — and the Devon section, from Exmouth to the county boundary near Lyme Regis, is the most geologically varied of the lot. The red Triassic rocks of the Exe Estuary give way to the Cretaceous chalk and flint of Beer Head in just a few miles of walking — a geological journey of 120 million years visible in the cliffline above your head. Walking this coast is simultaneously a geology lesson and a visual feast: the red cliffs, white chalk faces, green-topped headlands and clear Channel water make for one of the most photogenic sections of the South West Coast Path.
East Devon also has two of the most unusual walking environments in Britain: the Hooken Undercliff at Beer — a chaos of collapsed chalk and scrub formed by a single 1790 landslip — and the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliff, a five-mile coastal nature reserve that feels more like tropical rainforest than English countryside.
⚠️ East Devon Walking Tips
- Fossil safety: Never walk under actively eroding cliffs or below overhangs — cliff falls are common and sudden, especially after rain or frost
- Undercliff commitment: The Axmouth–Lyme Regis Undercliff is a full day walk with no exits for the middle 4 miles. Do not enter if you cannot complete the full route
- OS Maps: Explorer 115 (Exeter & Sidmouth) and 116 (Lyme Regis & Bridport) cover the East Devon coast
- Tides: Beer Beach and Branscombe are only fully accessible at lower states of tide — check before planning beach sections
- Dogs: East Devon is year-round dog-friendly — most beaches have no seasonal restrictions
The Best East Devon Walks
01
Beer Head & Hooken Undercliff
Jurassic Coast · Beer · England's most westerly chalk cliffs and a collapsed landscape
Beer Head is the most westerly point of chalk cliffs on England's south coast — a brilliant white face rising 150 metres from the Channel, geologically distinct from the red Triassic sandstone everywhere else in East Devon. The walk from Beer village climbs steeply to the clifftop, following the South West Coast Path east to the Hooken Undercliff — one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Devon. In 1790, around 10 acres of chalk clifftop slipped seaward in a single movement, creating a chaos of pinnacles, ridges and jungle-like undergrowth between the original cliff face and the new coastline. The path through the undercliff descends steeply into this collapsed world — atmospheric and genuinely wild. The return from Branscombe Mouth is via the cliff path west, with views that on a clear day reach to Portland Bill in Dorset.
Full Beer Head walk guide →02
Branscombe Valley and Sea
East Devon · Branscombe · Devon's longest village and a wooded coast path
Branscombe is reputedly the longest village in England — a string of thatched cottages threaded along a deep wooded valley for nearly two miles down to the sea. The circular walk follows the valley path to Branscombe Mouth beach, then climbs the coast path east to Berry Camp Iron Age hillfort before looping back through the upper valley woods. The beach at Branscombe Mouth is a classic Jurassic Coast destination — dark shingle and exposed rock ledges that yield ammonites and belemnites to patient searchers after storms. The National Trust's Manor Mill and bakery at the eastern end of the village is one of the last working water mills in Devon. This walk combines valley, woodland, coast and village in a satisfying circuit that feels remarkably undiscovered even in summer.
Branscombe beach guide →03
Sidmouth to Salcombe Hill
East Devon · Sidmouth · Regency town, red cliffs and Jacob's Ladder beach
Sidmouth is the grande dame of East Devon resorts — an almost perfectly preserved Regency town sitting between two of the most dramatic red sandstone cliffs on the Jurassic Coast. The walk east from the town follows the Esplanade to Jacob's Ladder beach and then climbs steeply to the clifftop at Salcombe Hill, where the views back over Sidmouth Bay are among the finest on this section of coast. The path continues east towards Weston Mouth and the Dunscombe Cliff — some of the highest and most inaccessible sections of the SWCP in Devon — before returning to Sidmouth via the same route. The town itself warrants time: the Sid Vale Museum covers Sidmouth's remarkable Regency history, and the Sidmouth Folk Festival in the first week of August transforms it into one of the best folk music destinations in Europe.
Sidmouth beach guide →04
Otter Estuary, Budleigh Salterton
East Devon · Budleigh Salterton · Pebble beach, RSPB reserve and Raleigh's birthplace
Budleigh Salterton's great natural feature is the mouth of the River Otter — where England's first re-introduced beaver colony now lives upstream, and where the tidal estuary meets the Channel in a landscape that has changed little since John Everett Millais painted The Boyhood of Raleigh on this beach in 1870. The walk north from the seafront follows the east bank of the Otter through the RSPB Otter Estuary Nature Reserve — one of the best birdwatching spots in East Devon, particularly for waders in winter and migratory birds in spring and autumn. A footbridge allows a circuit back through Otterton village and the Otter valley to the coast. The beach at Budleigh is one of the most distinctive in Devon — pure quartzite pebbles worn smooth over millennia, steep shelving to deep water, utterly unlike the sand beaches elsewhere. Sir Walter Raleigh was born nearby at Hayes Barton.
Budleigh Salterton beach guide →05
Axmouth to Seaton Undercliff
East Devon · Axmouth · England's most impenetrable coastal jungle
The Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliff National Nature Reserve is one of the strangest and most compelling walking environments in Britain — a 5.5-mile stretch of coastal landslip that has created a sealed jungle of ash, oak, ivy and bramble completely cut off from the rest of the landscape. The full traverse from Axmouth to Lyme Regis (11 miles with no exit points in the middle) is a serious commitment for experienced walkers only. For most visitors, the walk from Axmouth into the first section of the Undercliff — as far as Culverhole Point, where the landslip country begins in earnest — gives a vivid taste of what lies beyond. The NNR was created by the great Bindon Landslip of 1839, when 8 million tonnes of chalk slipped seaward overnight. Birds and invertebrates are unusually abundant; the path in summer feels genuinely wild.
East Devon beaches guide →06
Beer to Seaton Coastal Path
East Devon · Seaton Bay · Chalk to pebble — a classic Jurassic section
The coastal path from Beer to Seaton follows one of the most geologically rich sections of the entire Jurassic Coast — a descent from the chalk headlands above Beer through the Hooken Landslip to the broad shingle bay of Seaton. The path climbs from Beer village to the clifftop, then traverses the Hooken Undercliff before emerging above Seaton Bay and descending to the town. Seaton itself is the western terminus of the Seaton Tramway — a narrow-gauge electric tram that runs inland through the Axe Valley to Colyton, one of Devon's most enjoyable family days out. The Seaton Wetlands reserve at the estuary mouth is excellent for birdwatching at any season. As a linear walk, the X53 Jurassic Coaster bus connects Beer and Seaton, making it possible to walk the coast path one way and bus back — one of the best walk-bus combinations in Devon.
Seaton beach guide →🪨 Fossil Hunting on the Jurassic Coast
- Best beaches: Beer and Branscombe yield belemnites and ammonites from chalk and blue clay; Sidmouth foreshore has fossil wood and plant material
- Best timing: After storms and high tides — the sea constantly exposes new material at the cliff base
- Safety first: NEVER hammer or undercut cliffs. Only collect loose material from the beach — disturbing the cliff face is illegal and dangerous
- What to bring: Small rucksack, newspaper for wrapping finds, hand lens (x10 magnification), field guide to Jurassic fossils
- Best finds: Ammonites (coiled), belemnites (bullet-shaped), bivalve shells, occasional echinoids (sea urchins)
- Where to learn: Beer village has a small fossil exhibition; the Jurassic Coast Trust website has excellent ID guides
Getting to East Devon
East Devon is accessed via the A3052 Exeter–Lyme Regis coast road — one of Devon's more spectacular drives, following the top of the cliffs between Sidmouth and Seaton. Exmouth is the eastern end of the Avocet Line railway from Exeter Central — one of the most scenic branch lines in Devon. Sidmouth is reached by the X52 or 9A bus from Exeter. The X53 Jurassic Coaster bus runs year-round from Exeter to Weymouth via all the main Jurassic Coast towns, making it possible to do linear coastal walks by public transport.
🚌 Getting There Without a Car — The X53 Jurassic Coaster
The X53 Jurassic Coaster is the walking bus of the Jurassic Coast — a year-round service from Exeter to Weymouth that stops at Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Beer, Seaton, Charmouth and all points between. It makes almost all the East Devon walks accessible by public transport: walk the coast path between any two stops and catch the bus back. Timetables from Traveline South West or First South West's website. Buy a Day Rider for unlimited travel.