Seaton Bay on Devon's Jurassic Coast
Seaton is a small Devon sea side town on the south coast of England. This stretch of Dorset and East Devon coastline was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site site in 2001 and is known as the Jurassic Coast.
The landscape of East Devon and West Dorset is largely unspoilt creating coastal and inland Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Seaton lies in one of these areas of outstanding natural beauty where the Axe valley meets the sea.
Seaton.
Like all of the coastal towns on this section of the Jurassic Coast east of Exmouth the beach is shingle, a mile long arc of pebbles the shape of which changes with every tide. Some times piled high with pebbles sometimes flat and sandy the pebbles having disappeared eastward swept away by the tide.
At the top of the beach is the 1100 metre long Esplanade walk, flat and easily accessed and enjoyed by visitors of all ages. Families with young children down to play on the beach, couples or those on their own who want to contemplate the sea, walkers and runners exercising, dog walkers (between September and May) and the locals going about their daily business.
The two main shopping streets of the Town Centre can be seen from the sea front and are reached by crossing over at Fisherman's Gap in the centre of the Esplanade.
Beer.
The village of Beer with its own small bay enclosed by chalk cliffs, nestles in a valley with picturesque stone houses and cottages built on many different levels of the slopes of the valley.
Working off the beach are fisherman whose families have fished here for generations, their fishing boats are still launched from the beach to put out to sea and winched back on to the shore on their return.
Seaton Marshes.
Seaton Marshes Nature Reserve stretches from the estuary at Axmouth to the village of Colyford. Its mud flats, scrapes, grazing marsh, ditches and ponds attract birdlife throughout the year, but especially in the winter months
There are three Local Nature Reserves Seaton Marshes, Colyford Common and Black Hole Marsh all of which are are owned and managed by East Devon District Council.
The Jurassic Coast.
The 95 mile long Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site line on the south coast of England in East Devon and Dorset displays a near continuous sequence of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock features, together with outstanding geographical features such as landslides, a barrier beach and lagoon, cliffs and raised fossil beaches.
From Seaton it is possible to see, walk to, or easily visit all three eras in this 185 million-year 'geological walk through time'.
Axmouth Harbour.
Axmouth harbour is a small harbour which dries up on low tide and fills up as the tide comes in used mainly for recreation and by local fishing boats.
From the Iron Age to the Middle Ages, Axmouth Harbour was the most important harbour in the West of England.
The natural harbour of the River Axe estuary was at that time a much wider and deeper inlet, the mouth of the Axe being nearly half a mile wide and was one of the most important trading harbours in the South West
The UnderCliff
The South West Coastal path runs through the Axmouth Undercliffs NNR from Axmouth Harbour to the Cobb Harbour at Lyme Regis.
This section of the East Devon and Dorset coast line has been prone to land slips for thousands of years. Although land slips still occur due to the instability of the ground and cliffs, the largest and most spectacular landslip of recent times occurred on the coast line at Dowlands Cliffs between Axmouth and Lyme Regis in 1839, creating ravines and a rough, torn up landscape.
Walking the South West Coastal Path.
The South West Coastal path passes through Seaton and the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
From Seaton walkers can go west towards the red Triassic cliffs of the coastline between Sidmouth and Exmouth or east into the dense woodland of the Undercliff National Nature Reserve and onto the fossil bearing cliffs of Lyme Regis and Charmouth.
Local walking Guides
The Axe Valley and East Devon.
The East Devon landscape is an unspoilt treat, the South West Coastal path from Exmouth to Lyme Regis gives walkers on clear bright days some of the most stunning views in England. Inland there are intimate wooded combes, vast areas of heathland, fertile river valleys and high hilltops with more outstanding views.
The Axe Valley with its picturesque scenery, on the border of Devon and Dorset holds charming Devon villages and towns which are just a few miles from the coast.
The Axe Valley and East Devon.Seaton Weather
This Weather Widget is provided by the Met Office
Seaton Shops & Businesses.
Seaton Town Centre is just off the sea front and the Esplanade with the main shopping area being largely pedestrianized.
View Seaton Town Centre shops in a larger map.