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Uncrowded, unspoiled and blessed with a generous climate, you'll love East Devon for its glorious contrasts. Inland you'll find lush countryside dotted with small villages and crossed by river valleys rich in wildlife. But explore the coastline and you'll discover miles of beaches, from Exmouth's golden sands to the vivid red cliffs at Sidmouth and the dramatic chalk headlands at Beer. Much of East Devon is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including the Heritage Coast, the heath, cliff-top grassland, estuaries and countryside such as Blackdown Hills and Woodbury Common. You'll find scenery dramatic and varied. With so much variety you can really please yourself. Take it easy on a beach and watch the fishing boats, or enjoy a stroll through a fascinating village of thatched cottages and cobbled paths. Feeling energetic? There's golf, tennis, swimming, cycling, riding, excellent coastal walks and just about every water sport you can imagine.
For a real get-away-from-it-all holiday it's hard to beat East Devon's Axe Valley. This 25 square mile haven has something for everyone as you pass along miles of quiet lanes and footpaths, crossing woodland and meadow, hillside and cliff-top, through tiny hamlets and villages, busy market towns and pretty coastal resorts. Seaton, once a Roman settlement, is situated on the estuary of the River Axe, and is a perfect destination for a quiet and restful seaside holiday. It has an award winning mile-long beach and sunshine records which are among the highest in Britain. The nearby port of Axmouth is a thriving centre for sailing and fishing. From Seaton you can take an electric tram ride alongside the Axe Estuary to historic Colyford and Colyton, where you might stroll around the narrow medieval streets and see the unusual octagonal 'lantern tower' of St. Andrew's Church in this friendly town. A walk west from Seaton along the coastal path leads to the delightful fishing village of Beer whose chalk cliffs contrast strongly with the red sandstone elsewhere along this coast. With its winning combination of riverside, seaside and countryside, East Devon is well known as a region of vivid contrasts and variety, but when it comes to a day at the beach, you're really spoilt for choice. From the great sweeping crescent of Exmouth's two miles of golden sands, to the red sandstone cliffs of Sidmouth and the delightful sheltered coves and chalk cliffs of Beer and Seaton, you'll find beaches of every kind, for every kind of activity. Discover beaches that are ideal for family fun, beaches for
sea angling, beaches for windsurfing, sailing and other watersports,
and quiet uncrowded beaches where you can simply stretch out
and soak up the sun in perfect peace. Whatever your idea of a
great day at the seaside History and tradition are to be discovered in every part of this lovely old town. The Anglo Saxons designed Ottery with its streets fanning out from a central hub, so that today over 80 marked footpaths give you a splendid choice of walks, as well as an excellent Heritage Trail of the town. Even the street names - Paternoster Row, Amen Court, Jesu Street, Long Dogs Lane, Yonder Street - have a unique charm of their own which evokes times gone by. While a visit to Ottery's famous church will reveal an interior rich in colour and a fine example of medieval craftsmanship. Perhaps Ottery's most renowned tradition is the Tar Barrel Ritual It is the architecture around Sidmouth that truly unveils its fascinating history. The array of different designs, eras and identities is magnificent and some 500 buildings are now officially 'listed'. Many of the most grand designs around Sidmouth date back to the 18th century, the time of the town's manor house. Many of the smaller cottages built to house the manor house servants still stand today, many retaining their original structures of thatched roofing, stone foundations and cob walling. At this time the town was a quiet, small fishing village. Honiton, with its rich craft heritage is a tribute to the evolution of man and his capacity for labour. Wool and cloth were some of the first goods to be traded on a commercial basis in the town in the 13th Century. By the 19th Century, around the year 1881, Honiton's repute had spread beyond fabrics and wool, to pottery. It began to produce highly unusual and world renown pieces after the Second World War, when its art deco pieces established the town as a centre for expertise. The village of Axmouth dates from Roman times when a fortress could be found on 'Hochsdon Hill'. Indeed, some historical writers have supposed that Axmouth was the Roman station "Uxelis", a major point of presence in Roman Britain. The hill fort was for designed for defence from the west - from the Danmonii of Devon.
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