Escape to Lyme Bay

From rock pools to sandstone cliffs, the landscape of west Dorset and east Devon tells a fascinating story of natural history and is a world heritage site. Behind this sweeping coastline lies an untouched world of stone-and-thatch villages, woods and pastures and crystal -clear streams

There are creatures in the rocks hereabouts. Prawns lurk beneath the ledges of soft red sandstone from Sidmouth to Orcombe Point, and anyone with a net and no sense of feeling below the knees can paddle in the tidal pools and scoop them out. Oysters fatten in the lagoon behind Chesil Beach and fresh crabs are landed on shingle beaches between Burton Bradstock and Budleigh Salterton.

There are other creatures in the rocks of Lyme Bay. They are not so fresh: some of them are two million years old. Strange creatures, formed in stone and unlike anything living, have been crumbling out of the cliffs here for centuries. In 1812, the scientific world was rocked by the discovery of a complete skeleton of a fish-like lizard. It was 17 feet long. The discoverer was a 13-year-old girl, Mary Anning, who supported her family by fossil-hunting for the growing number of visitors who came to view these curious – and newly fashionable – relics.

The cliffs that ring the bay span the age of dinosaurs from the warm red Triassic sandstones in the west to the classic white Jurassic limestones in the east. And in between is Golden Cap, the highest cliff along the south coast of England. The spectacular beauty, fascinating history and scientific importance of this coastline have recently won it recognition as a World Heritage Site (in the same league as the Giant’s Causeway and St Kilda).

Behind the cliffs lies an unspoilt countryside of deep lanes winding through a tapestry of woods and pastures. Small streams have carved, intimate little valleys, home to villages of stone and thatch. Thatching reed is harvested along the River Axe, where reed-beds and sandbanks are a haven for birdlife.

Fossil-hunting
It is officially OK to collect fossils – if you don’t take one, the next tide may and it will be lost for ever. Get details of guided fossil-hunting walks at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre (01297 560772; www.charmouth.org) or buy them downstairs at Charmouth Fossils (01297 560020; www.charmouthfossils.co.uk). Explore a labyrinth of caves at the Beer Quarry Caves (01297 680282; www.beerquarrycaves.fsnet.co.uk).

Wildlife
Spot waders, warblers, egrets and kingfishers from the unlikely comfort of the authentic trams that scuttle beside the River Axe on the old railway track from Seaton to Colyford (01297 20375; www.tram.co.uk). Get friendly with donkeys in the peaceful surroundings of the Donkey Sanctuary (01395 578222; www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk). There has been a swannery on the quiet waters of the Fleet at Abbotsbury (01305 871858; www.abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk) for more than 600 years. Wander among hundreds of hatchlings in May and June.

Food and drink
There are guided tours and tastings at Palmers Brewery at Bridport (01308 422396; www.palmersbrewery.com) several times a week. Cider has always been brewed on farms in Dorset and Devon. The oldest and largest cider press in Devon awaits restoration in the barn of Woodmans Stoup (B&B, 01297 551155) in Colyford. The Lyme Bay Cider Company named its Jack Ratt cider after Jack Rattenbury, a notorious Lyme Bay smuggler in the early 19th century. In 2001 Nigel Howard and Jacqui Barker added the Lyme Bay Winery (01297 551355; www.lymebaywinery.co.uk) with many fruit wines and liqueurs, from Apple & Raspberry wine to Whisky & Mead liqueur. Try Elderberry & Port liqueur with a Dorset Knob biscuit (01297 489253; www.moores-biscuits.co.uk) and cheddar from Denhay Farms (01308 458963; www.denhay.co.uk).

Denhay also produces air-dried ham, cured sausages and dry-cured bacon. The dry-cured gammon and bacon is organic at Modbury Farm (01308 897193), like the cream from their Jerseys.

Oysters, harvested from the River Fleet, are available from Abbotsbury Oysters (01305 788867). Inshore fishing boats work off the steep shingle beaches of Lyme Bay. There’s a wet fish stall at Beer and John Hughes (01297 680369) sells his catch of crabs from his cottage at Branscombe beach, just across the road from Branscombe Brewery at Great Seaside Farm.

Arts and crafts
Artists lurk in every fold of the landscape and their work can be found in galleries in the seaside towns of the bay. Artists around Bridport open their studios for two weeks in May and exhibit at the Bridport Arts Centre (01308 427183; www.bridport-arts.com/). There are superb sculptures in wood at the dansel gallery in Abbotsbury (01305 871515; www.danselgallery.co.uk). The Marine House at Beer (01297 625257; www.marinehouseatbeer.co.uk) has local pottery and John Scott’s sculptures in Beer stone from the local quarry.

Restored water mills are a favourite venue for arts and crafts: the Town Mill at Lyme Regis (01297 443579; www.townmill.org.uk) has a gallery and papier mâché artist, Lucy-Ann, in residence. Otterton Mill (01395 568521; www.ottertonmill.com) is the finest of these mills with a working bakery, lace museum, art and craft gallery, potter, sculptor and a wool studio.

Events
Sidmouth International Festival is a world-famous festival of folk-music and dance held in summer. More than 600 events are planned, with a torch-lit grand finale. Visit www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk.
Abbotsbury Music Festival, June. A weekend of opera. Call 01305 871475 or visit www.abbotsbury.co.uk.

A walk by the water
Length: 71⁄2 or  51⁄2 miles
Start: Limekiln car park, next to the River Otter in Budleigh Salterton.
•    Take the path at the far corner of the car park leading alongside the River Otter. The path you are walking on is the old sea wall built during the Napoleonic wars to protect the low-lying land from flooding. The cricket ground to your left is unique: it’s below sea level. The Otter Estuary to the right is a wetlands nature reserve with waders, ducks and sea birds.  
•    Cross the Otter at White Bridge, the first bridge on the river. Look out for shoals of grey mullet gliding through the shallow tidal waters.
•    You have a choice of routes to Otterton. To the left, the old road is now closed to vehicles and reverting to a green lane. The longer route turns right to follow the signed South West Coast Path. Climb the path along the cliffs – the ruin of a wartime observation post marks the highest point of the walk. To the east, view the red cliffs of Ladram Bay, Sidmouth and the white cliffs of Beer Head.
•    As the path drops down, turn left along a signed permissive path towards Otterton. A crossroads of lanes offers a choice of ways to Otterton –  take your pick. Reward yourself with cream tea beside the river at Otterton Mill: those who took the short cut will be there already.
•    Cross the bridge by the mill and turn left along the riverside path towards Budleigh Salterton. At White Bridge (once again) turn right along the lane that crosses the water-meadows and twists up to join a main road. Across the road is an old railway bridge. Climb the path at its right-hand side to get on to the old railway line path into Budleigh Salterton. Leave the path through the gate beside a metal footbridge, cross the road and walk up Cricket Field Lane.
•    When the lane becomes Chapel Hill and begins to fall steeply, turn along a gravel lane to the left. Continue until it turns steeply down the hill past the delightful Umbrella Cottage. Take the steps down towards Dolphin Square and enjoy an ice-cream at The Creamery.

Hidden highlights
•    The Creamery at Budleigh Salterton (01395 442064) has some of the best ice-creams in the west: try chocolate maltesers with clotted cream.
•    The Bakehouse Tearoom in Abbotsbury (01305 871990) has newspapers to peruse, fresh bread and coffee served in an eclectic collection of antique porcelain.
•    Play croquet on the lawn at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens (01305 871387; www.abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk) or lose yourself in the riot of exotic flora from Mediterranean to Himalayan.
•    Dinosaurland (01297 443541; www.dinosaurland.co.uk) is a museum of the fossil finds of Lyme Regis. On the first floor is a reconstruction of the alarming fauna that roamed Jurassic Lyme.
•    The present-day fauna can be alarming enough: there is a discreet nude bathing area along the beach beyond Budleigh Salterton. It is subtly announced by a sign at the end of the beach promenade: “Clothing is optional 50 metres beyond this point”.

Where to eat

Branscombe
•    The Fountain Head (01297 680359) A genuine gem of a pub. It’s 500 years old: its ale is brewed in the village; its been CAMRA pub-of-the-year twice. I’m not a bit surprised. Superb ham, egg and chips.
•    The Masons Arms (01297 680300) The inn is renowned for its ambience and its food. Real ales in the stone-flagged bar where, on three days a week, a joint is spit-roasted over the open log fire.

Budleigh Salterton
•    The Premier Cafe (01395 442962) You must have fish and chips at the seaside. The Premier Cafe in Chapel Street has the best. Cod and chips are £3 or try grilled Bass for something special.

Lyme Regis
•    Café Clémence (01297 445757) A friendly bistro-style restaurant beside Lyme’s restored Town Mill. Lots of organic ingredients in an imaginative menu. Try the Seafood Provençal or the Warm Duck and Potato Salad.

Otterton
•    The Duckery at Otterton Mill (01395 567041)
Another mill, another restaurant. Susie cooks everything here, including a great selection of vegetarian dishes such as Mixed Bean and Ratatouille Lasagne.

Sidmouth
•    Browns Wine Bar (01395 516724) An elegant bistro in the heart of this elegant Regency town in Lyme Bay. The menu is just as stylish: Grouper fillet with mango salsa.

Where to stay

Abbotsbury
•    East Farm House (01305 871363; www.eastfarmhouse.co.uk)
There are three pretty B&B rooms in Wendy Wood’s flower-decked 17th-century Dorset Longhouse in the monastic village of Abbotsbury. The windows peep out through the creepers that festoon the lovely old house.

Branscombe
•    The Masons Arms (01297 680300; www.masonsarms.co.uk)
Originally a 14th-century cider house, the Masons Arms is now a very comfortable inn tucked away in the pretty village of Branscombe. Some bedrooms have four-posters: all have great charm.  

Colyton
•    Higher Wiscombe (01404 871360; www.higherwiscombe.com)
At the head of the peaceful Southleigh Valley, four miles from the coast, is Higher Wiscombe, with its sympathetic development of a courtyard of old barns into five-star self-catering cottages, completed in October 2005. Deer, foxes and badgers are common sights in the grounds of the 19th-century farmhouse. Rural bliss with all mod cons: and a big plus is that the Old Winery will sleep 20.

Sidford
•    Boswell Farm (01395 514162; www.boswell-farm.co.uk)
The original farm buildings of Boswell Farm, mentioned in the Domesday Book, have been tastefully restored and converted into seven self-catering cottages. The farm has its own tennis courts and trout lake. Cottages sleep 4-6.
•    Lyme Bay Holidays (01297 443363) Self-catering specialists in Lyme Regis, Charmouth and West Dorset.

General information
Tourist Information Centres: Lyme Regis: 01297 442138; Bridport: 01308 424901; Sidmouth: 01395 516441; Seaton: 01297 21660; Budleigh Salterton: 01395 445275. For Abbotsbury, try The Bakehouse Tearoom, 01305 871990. Also visit: www.westdorset.com; www.eastdevon.net/tourism.

Public transport: Nearest mainline stations: Weymouth (for Abbotsbury), Axminster (for Lyme Regis and Seaton), Exmouth (for Budleigh Salterton). For buses contact Travel-line (0870 6082608; www.devon.gov.uk/devonbus).

Maps: Ordnance Survey 1:25,000: OS Explorer115, 116 and OS Outdoor Leisure 15. Ordnance Survey 1:50,000: OS Landranger 192, 193, 194.

Don’t miss... One of the most spectacular natural events in Britain’s history occurred on Christmas night in 1839 when a swathe of farmland between Axmouth and Lyme Regis, including a wheat field and a turnip field, slipped down the cliff. The wheat field remained intact, an island in a jumble of crags, cliffs and crevices. Now this Undercliff is a jungle of self-seeded woodland, fern and creeper, bursting with wildlife, traversed by the South-West Coast Path.

 

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