A SPRING ESCAPE TO DEVON [Part 1 of 2 Seaton and Beer]

As luck would have it, our very first trip to the county of Devon coincided with a mini Spring heatwave! We were absolutely spoiled with a sunny and warm greeting and spent our first few dayside (of week-long stay) exploring the coastal towns of Seaton and Beer.

Although the village of Colyton where our Airbnb cottage was located (and which you can read more about in Part Two here) has enough to keep you occupied on its own, the highlight of our trip was a nostalgia inducing ride on the local vintage tramway.

SEATON TRAMWAY

Originally opened in the mid 1800s, Seaton Tramway connects the towns of Seaton, Colyford and Colyton. Unfortunately the line closed in 1966 but was purchased by Modern Electric Tramways and reopened in the 1970’s as a tourist attraction. You can now visit the restored original station building at Colyton (make time for a cream tea and a visit to the gift shop) before taking a ride out to the beach on one of the 14 heritage trams.

Tip: The main service only runs between Easter and October, but there is a limited timetable that runs at other times of the year so it’s worth checking the schedule before you visit.

SEATON

We’d ridden out on the first tram of the morning so we arrived to quiet scenes on Seaton Beach. Just us, dog walkers and the bravest of swimmers to enjoy the sunshine and sea. With breakfast far behind us we strolled along the boardwalk looking for lunch, and admiring the colourful huts. We ended up at a bright and happy little cafe called The Hideaway, and soaked in the ocean views while chatting over burgers.

BEER

After lunch in Seaton we decided to take on the ‘Coastal Path’ walk towards the next town; Beer.
When we shared this beautiful spot on our Instagram stories so many people replied saying it was one of their favourite coastal towns, and yet we’d never even heard of it before! Cresting the coastal path after about 3o minutes of huffing & puffing our way uphill, the view over Beer beach unfolds itself like picture perfect postcard. The afternoon was sticky and sunny with the ocean sparkling and the seagulls loudly flying overhead; we almost could have been fooled into believing we’d walked all the way to Italy.
Sadly having arrived before the high season * (and on a Sunday) most of the little shops and cafes were shut, but the beach is the main event here anyway. So we happily parked ourselves on the pebbles for a good dose of people watching before making the journey back to Seaton, and onwards via the Tram.

*The high season runs from Easter to October