Activities around Seaton and the Axe Valley.
A combination of stunning coastline and inland areas of outstanding natural beauty has made the Jurassic Coast one of the most popular leisure activity areas of the South West.
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.
The cliff top walk from Beer to Branscombe has been featured as one of the ‘Sunday Times’ top ten walks in England. On a clear day, the views across Lyme Bay are spectacular with a blue sea bounded by the red Triassic Devon cliffs and the dramatic Hooken Undercliff.
Walking from Beer to Branscombe
Sea Fishing
Seaton Bay is a mile long shelving shingle beach sheltered between cliffs. The beach can be fished both during the day and at night, with all styles of fishing allowed, including spinning and feathering as well as bottom baiting.
Fishing trips can be can be booked from Beer where boats will take people out fishing for mackerel in the summer months or charters can be booked all year round for fishing off wrecks and reefs in Lyme Bay.
Wiscombe Park.
Wiscombe Park has its own flourishing hill climb championship where between April and September 2012 there will be 12 action packed days of motorsport.
Hill climbing first took place at Wiscombe House in 1958, with the cars and motorcycles climbing up the twisty and winding single track driveway that leads to the house.
There are a varied selection of events featuring classes of vehicles from modern day production cars to historic vintage cars and motorcycles.
Walking through the Undercliff
The South West Coastal path runs through the the Axmouth Undercliffs NNR from Axmouth Harbour to the Cobb Harbour at Lyme Regis.
This walk can be done at any time of the year, in the winter you see more of the tumbled landscape and shore as the leaf cover has gone. In the spring the woods are full of wild garlic and many other wild flowers. In the summer and autumn, its a green jungle.
Walking through the Undercliff
The Grizzly.
Each year 2,000 runners set off on twentyish muddy, hilly, boggy, beachy miles of the multiest-terrain running experience you will find this side of the end of time.
The Grizzly run is organised by the Axe Valley Runners (website www.axevalleyrunners.org.uk)
It is number three on the ranking of Britain's most popular running events just behind the London Marathon and the Great North Run
The Grizzly is different from the London Marathon and the Great North Run because it really does go 'cross country' for a distance of 19 to 20 miles, or round about 31 kilometres.
the 2012 Grizzly will be the 25th & is subtitled Every Hill Has A Silver Lining
Grizzly 2012 will start at 10:30am on Sunday 11th March Junior Grizzly & Fun Run at 2pm on Saturday 10th March
Walking to Beer
From the Chine café at the end of West Walk it is a 2 mile walk to the picturesque village of Beer.
Enclosed by chalk cliffs, Beer with its own small bay nestles in a valley with picturesque stone houses and cottages built on many different levels.
Walking to Beer
Sailing and Water Sports in Seaton Bay.
Yachting, cruising, dinghy sailing, canoeing, racing, boat fishing, motorboats,water skiing and wind surfing are all alowed in Seaton Bay.
Canoes and Kayaks can be either wheeled through the gaps in the sea wall, or lifted over to gain access to the beach. Dingies can gain access to the beach using the ramp at Fishermans Gap, although there is no storage area there.
Sailing and Water Sports in Seaton Bay.
Walking through the Hooken Under Cliff.
The Hooken Undercliff is on the cliff route between Beer and Branscombe. A slump in the Chalk cliffs in 1790 separated a 10-acre (40,000 m2) tract of land, now a wooded and sheltered habitat with chalk pinnacles on the seaward side.
Seaton Marshes Local Nature Reserve
Seaton Marshes, Colyford Common and Black Hole Marsh Local Nature Reserves teem with bird life in the winter with rare migrant visitors stopping over as well as large feeding flocks of Wigeon, Teal and Shelduck. Black tailed Godwit can be seen feeding along with numbers of Curlew and Shoveler, cold days will bring out the elusive Snipe. In the summer months the breeding birds return to the marshes as well as abundant insect life.
The LNR is a impressive place to visit in the winter with its large feeding flocks over wintering birds as well as migratory visitors, it is not unusual to see flocks of 250 Wigeon, 100 Teal and 100 Shelduck. Large numbers of Curlew can be seen feeding on the mud flats feeding on the rich harvest of animals with their specially adapted long, down curved beaks pulling animals like lugworms from deep down in the mud.
Walking through Branscombe Village.
Branscombe is well worth walking to from the South West Coastal Path.
From Brancombe Mouth you can walk into Branscombe Village, ½ mile to the lower village and the Masons Arms or a circular walk of 3.15 miles if you want to go to the Fountain Head.
The Stop Line Way – National Route 33
The Stop Line Way is a is a partly completed long distance walking and cycling route, running from Seaton to Weston–Super–Mare. Once completed it will cover 70 miles and connect Axminster, Chard, Ilminster, Taunton, Bridgwater, Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea.
The route stretches from Seaton Promenade to the Devon county boundary and is a largely traffic–free footway and cycleway. Over half of the route is now open and more sections are being constructed and opened.
A stretch of The Stop Line Way was opened at Kilmington on Friday, September 9th 2011. The new one-kilometre off-road section provides a link between Kilmington and Trafalgar Way (B3261) leading to Axminster.
A planning application for another section of The Stop Line Way, between the north of Seaton at Underfleet and the south of Colyford, accessing onto Seaton Road, was approved by Devon County Council's development management committee on Wednesday, September 7th 2011.