Dawlish to Abbotsbury

KC3 ECP Leg Number 10b11a

Overview
Date started:
18th May 2024
Date completed:
23rd May 2024
Official miles:
53.0
Miles we actually walked:
55.2
Guest walkers
Ani The Dog, aged 12 and a half, who probably walked double the distance!
A 55 mile stretch, starting with 4 flat miles from Dawlish, before climbing up out of Exmouth onto the red cliffs. The going is especially tough either side of Sidmouth, as far as Seaton. From there the path passes through the strange landscape of the Undercliff on the way to Lyme Regis. The hills continue as far as West Bay, and while the final 9 miles are relatively flat, don't be fooled - these pass along the top end of Chesil Beach and it's a trudge through the pea shingle for several hard miles.
Day by day
Day 1 – Exmouth to Sidmouth
18th May 2024
Miles 13.2 | Elevation gain 1960ft
Map of Day 1
Day 2 – Sidmouth to Seaton
19th May 2024
Miles 10.1 | Elevation gain 2342ft
Map of Day 2
Day 3 – Seaton to Lyme Regis
20th May 2024
Miles 7.5 | Elevation gain 1282ft
Map of Day 3
Day 4 – Dawlish to Starcross
21st May 2024
Miles 4.2 | Elevation gain 68ft
Map of Day 4
Day 5 – Lyme Regis to West Bay
22nd May 2024
Miles 10.3 | Elevation gain 2788ft
Map of Day 5
Day 6 – West Bay to Abbotsbury
23rd May 2024
Miles 9.9 | Elevation gain 638ft
Map of Day 6
How we approached this leg
We walked this leg slightly out of order to allow for a semi-rest day 4 - when we doubled back and filled in the flat 4 miles from Dawlish to Starcross, including a scenic train ride down to Teignmouth and back to Dawlish, and the ferry across the estuary to Exmouth. Otherwise, this was a five day walk as follows: Sat. Day 1: Exmouth to Sidmouth. 12.7 miles. Two main ups and downs Moderate, then Strenuous right at the end into Sidmouth. Sun. Day 2: Sidmouth to Seaton. 10 miles Severe then Strenuous. Mon. Day 3: Seaton to Lyme Regis. 7 miles Moderate then strenuous. Weds. Day 5: Lyme Regis to West Bay. 10 miles Moderate then strenuous. Thurs. Day 6: West Bay to Abbotsbury. 9.3 miles Strenuous then moderate.
Where we stayed
We stayed in Sidmouth, a bit less than halfway between our start and end point. Fabulous sea front with views up and down the coast of the hills to be walked!
Useful links
The Riviera Hotel, Sidmouth
Delightful location on the front on a sunny Friday late afternoon, for a glass of rose overlooking the sea
The Anchor Inn, Sidmouth
Pre-dinner pint here on Friday, in the nice beer garden, which allows dogs - unlike inside
The Loft, Sidmouth
Family run restaurant, open Thurs to Sat for dinner - offers an range of food types, we had the hake
Deli On The Strand, Exmouth
We had a pre-walk bacon roll and flat white here, after arriving in Exmouth on the bus on our first day walking
Dukes Inn, Sidmouth
We visited Dukes a few times! A welcome stop at the end of the first day from Exmouth to Sidmouth, and then dinner here a few nights later was excellent - very friendly people.
Myca's Seafood Restaurant, Sidmouth
We had dinner here on Saturday night - all the seafood looked lovely, but it wasn't cheap. The oysters and scallops were delicious, but they cooked the tuna steaks a little too much for our liking.
Sea Shanty Beach Cafe, Branscombe
This is a place to stop at, not just because it's a nice cafe that serves ice creams, but it also comes after six very tough miles from Sidmouth, with four to go to Seaton!
The Vault Bar, Seaton
Right by the bus stop back to Sidmouth, perfect for a drink-while-you-wait
The Bell Cliff Restaurant & Tea Rooms, Lyme Regis
Great sandwich lunch here overlooking the water, after completing our walk from Seaton. Sadly not open evenings since the pandemic.
The Marine, Sidmouth
We had a pint here after getting the bus back from Seaton, at the end of our tough day walking. Nice in the sunshine.
The Swan Inn, Sidmouth
We had dinner here on Sunday evening - decent pub food, we had the curry and the haddock
Teign Bean coffee shop, Teignmouth
There's a few of these in the area - including at Starcross Car Park. We had a coffee from the one on the front at Teignmouth, while we got our passport stamped at the coastguard station.
Spoken, Exmouth
We had a quick lunch here in the square in Exmouth - lovely outside eating area and the tapas were good too!
The Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth
Posh hotel, a few yards up a little hill from the front - as far as we could see it was the only terrace in town that kept the sun long enough for a glass of rose
Neil's Restaurant, Sidmouth
Mainly seafood - this was our favourite eatery in this trip - they do a fixed price two or three course menu, and we had some very special seafood
Hive Beach Cafe
On the beach at Burton Bradstock, en route from West Bay to Abbotsbury - followed by a lot of shingle so best to get well refreshed here!
Graze & Olive cocktail bar, Sidmouth
We had a couple of final night pre-dinner celebratory cocktails here
The Pea Green Boat
Fine dining overlooking Lyme Bay, a venue for our final night