East Devon, Exeter, Exmouth & Exe Estuary, Sidmouth, Tiverton Devon UK

Exeter & Exeter Airport

Exeter, city of southwest culture, have you heard. Exeter is rich in Roman, Medieval, and Wool Trade/Canal history, but there's more! In these contemporary times, Exeter, a prestigious university city, has evolved offering visitors a choice of cinema, contemporary art and popular culture centres. Quayside on the River Exe and at the beginning of the Exeter Ship Canal has evolved like so many UK watersides. We're talking cafe culture tourism now, not bustling industrial woollen trade. As Quaysides go, Exeter is a delight retaining many of it's old buildings such as the historic Customs House which dates back to 1681.

Exeter's Gothic Cathedral is one of the best in the UK. As you'd expect from city of culture and the arts, Exeter, the choice of restaurants, cafes and bars is simply superb. With a nod to Devon produce, especially fish dishes, you'll find everything from informal yet glamorous caf dining with entertainment, say at the Brazz, to the delightfully accessible cuisine of French trained guru chef Michael Caines.

Exeter has developed a reputation not just for superb art house cinema venues, but as a hotspot for exploring the history of cinema and popular culture. In conjunction with Exeter University, the relatively new Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture puts Exeter on the map as a city for cinema fans.

Exeter is rich in Roman, Medieval, and Wool Trade/Canal history, but there's more! Exeter offers a choice of cinema, contemporary art and popular culture centres. It's a superb city for shopping as well, particularly off the wall clothes shops and off beat designer names. Check out the clothes shops on Gandy Street near the Phoenix Art Centre - fantastic stuff!

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Exmouth & Exe Estuary

Exmouth is simply a great Devon family holiday resort offering great family cliff walks, the two mile long seafront with attractive promenade and lots of family seaside entertainment. Exmouth Bay is perfect for swimming and watersports, and Exmouth forms part of the UNESCO designated Devon Heritage Coast. Start your exploration of this beautiful coastline at Orcombe Point in Exmouth.

The Exe Estuary is an area of supreme natural beauty, inhabited by an array of wildlife including migrating birds. Why is the Exe estuary such a haven and habitat for birds. Well, the Exe has extensive salt marshes, reedbeds and enormous mudflats and sandbanks which provide an essential feeding ground and habitat for both birds and plant life.

Exmouth fishing for fishing fans is certainly on the menu. Various companies operate chartered fishing trips and one of the best is Stuart Line Fishing based just outside Exeter. They offer a choice of Mackeral fishing trips, lasting about 1 1/2 hours, or how about an all day fishing trip leaving at 9am, coming back about 5pm.

If your penchant is for all things wildlife, including birdwatching and walking around the Exe Estuary then you may prefer idyllic Topsham as a holiday base, conveniently close to Exeter. Topsham has a real community atmosphere, you can get a feel for it on the little Topsham local community website (link to the right). Exmouth Tourist Information

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Sidmouth & Jurassic Coast

The World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast, stretches all the way from Orcombe Rocks in Exmouth to Studland Bay in Dorset, and here on the East coast of Devon visitors have access to what is the oldest stretch of the Jurassic Coast dating back to to the Triassic period 250-200 million years ago. The triassic rocks and cliffs in East Devon from Exmouth to Sidmouth are a record of a time when the area was actually forming millions of years ago, and of real international interest. The area was once locked in the interior of a large continent made up of North America, Europe, South America, Africa, Antarctica, India and Australia. The Jurrassic Coast World Heritage website will tell you more!

Sidmouth on the East Devon coast is a delightful seaside base from which to explore the Jurassic Coast. Situated in the green wooded haven of the Sid Valley, Sidmouth is marked by it's once Regency heyday. Visitors can expect a choice of beautiful Devon gardens, and a laid back bohemian atmosphere largely influenced by it's internationally famed annual Sidmouth Folk Festival at the end of July/beginning of August. The red rock coloured cliffs add to Sidmouth's picture postcard character, with a superb promenade, and famous Park The Byes as well as river side walking along the River Sid or sunbathing on the western beach at Jacob's Ladder - Sidmouth appears to have it all and more!

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Tiverton Devon

Ancient market towns abound in East Devon, and delightful Tiverton north of Exeter is still famous for it's Pannier and Farmers Market. Tiverton on the River Exe evolved from a pre-Saxon settlement to a key Devon Market town in the 16th century. Tiverton is the largest town in central/east Devon and in the past was a prime industrial centre in Devon, particularly for the wooltrade, but also to the fore in both agriculture and in lace making. You can find out more about Tiverton's industrial and agricultural past in the superb social history extravaganza, The Tiverton Museum.

Like Castles, then don't miss a visit to Tiverton Castle, built in 1106. Tiverton's boom past is evident in it's large number of churches, some of them pretty old such as the 16th century Church of St Peter which has some exquisite gothic carvings. Tiverton is a grand walking spot with a difference. The charming Exe Valley Way passes through the town, on up to join the Two Moors Way, and there's a treat for canal fans. The Grand Western Canal reaches from Tiverton to Taunton, and you can walk this canal's attractive tow path.

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Dawlish & Teignmouth

Welcome to prime Devon family holiday territory. Dawlish is blessed with some superb beaches, and great Devon family holiday entertainment including superb seaside holiday amenties such as Dawlish's many shops, cafes, bars, a choice of boat trips and fishing trips, mini golf, a theatre and museum and a swimming pool and bowling green. There's a choice of prime all-inclusive holiday parks and caravan parks in this part of south Devon as well, with easy access to Torquay and the English Riviera, and just a hop and skip to the delightful Exe Estuary, attractions such as Powderham Castle and of course historic Exeter.

Nature lovers and birdwatchers head for the beautiful Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve, and of course superb coastal walking along the Dawlish Spit. Families meanwhile love the blue flag golden sandy beach, with sand dunes at Dawlish Warren beach which has superb family amenities again including pubs, shops, cafes, restaurants and a choice of Dawlish Warren Holiday parks.

Teignmouth is Devon seaside holiday territory most definitely, and a great South Devon base for families. This is Devon's Estuary coastal stretch, and Teignmouth is situated right at the mouth of the Teign estuary. There's a lovely old Victorian pier here, and a selection of Regency style houses. It was a popular Victorian seaside town, and an important fishing port and export location as well. Close to Dartmoor it was the ideal port from which to export Dartmoor granite.

Like many Devon towns in this area, it was the coming of the railways that initiated the holiday boom, and in Teignmouth's case the coming of the Brunel railway from Exeter. Poet John Keats was rather taken with Teignmouth. Today it's prime Devon seaside holiday hotspot, with lots to do including a museum, lots of boat trips and ferry rides, the glorious Marine Parade, and for walkers strolls upto the Ness, the popular sandstone headland right at the river mouth where superb sea views await.

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