Unesco World Heritage Site from Exmouth to Dorset
See 360° Degree movie: from the cliffs at Orcombe Point

Walking on dinosaurs

Cliff Walk to Budleigh Salterton page

The Dorset and East Devon Coast has been officially ranked alongside the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon as one of the natural wonders of the world. It stretches from Orcombe Point at Exmouth in Devon to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset.

Orcombe Point in Exmouth. This part of the cliff line marks the start of the World Heritage Site and is signified by a ‘Geoneedle’ (a pointed stone needle) Photo 6. Here the rocks are 250 million years old and red in colour. This is due to the desert environment that existed in that area. These rocks show the Triassic period and are the oldest section of the coastline.

Exmouth, Geoneedle, Coast Path Walk
After an initial walk along the sea front there is a short climb to the coast path and a visit to the Geoneedle which marks the western boundary of the "Jurassic Coast".

Orcombe Point, end of the road, start of the Jurassic Coast

WALK
The path starts in the docks / harbour to the west of the town, where many modern apartments have recently been built. From here it's a flat path all along to Orcombe Point. There is a good beach in Exmouth. There are refreshments and toilets all along this part of the path and car parking along most of it. The beach changes, with sand dunes and rocks appearing further east.

The rocks dip gently to the east and as a result the oldest are found in the west, around Exmouth and Sidmouth with progressively younger rocks forming the cliffs to the east. Exmouth is important as it represents the earliest geology of the entire coast.

Due to tilting and erosion the oldest exposed rocks at Exmouth are from the Triassic period Photo 5 & Photo 11, they are magnificent red sandstone cliffs, at Orcombe Point and extend for several miles eastwards. Indeed, the coast contains a virtually complete sequence through some 200 million years of geological time.

Once at Orcombe point there are two possible ways to go. At low tide you can walk right around the headland, and then continue along the beach to Sandy Bay. (no dogs allowed at Sandy Bay in summer, its private holiday camp)

If it is high tide you will need to head up the zig-zag path at the end of the promenade and on to the coast path. There are steps down onto the beach a short distance along the path, and from there you can see if it's possible to get to Sandy Bay along the beach. If it's not possible or you don't want to, the path continues through some fields to Sandy Bay.

Sandy Bay is easily recognisable by the massive Devon Cliffs Holiday Park Photo 16 . It is closed during the winter, so you will find this part of the path quiet then. In the summer though it's very busy but the caravan park does have refreshments. The beach at Sandy Bay is excellent and is backed by high cliffs. The beach offers safe bathing and clean water. Take care at the back of the beach though as there are cliff falls.

The next headland (at the end of the beach just after the cafe at Sandy Bay), is used by the marines as a firing range, so unfortunately it is not possible to walk along it. The path goes along the edge of the caravan park and climbs quite steeply in places but is generally well signed.

There are excellent views from this part of the path, into Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth ahead and to Exmouth and right round to Start Point in the South Hams on a clear day. Once you reach the top of the cliff the path descends slowly through gorse bushes (one can cut across the Golf Course Photo 19 towards the railway line walk, to Exmouth or Knowle) and pine trees Photo 20 into Budleigh Salterton. There are plenty of seats along this section and the walk is fairly easy although the path is quite thin in places.

The path turns to tarmac as you come into Budleigh Salterton, with lots of seats down to the beach. The beach is good, although it is shingle and there are boats on the eastern edge of the beach. At the end of the beach the river otter flows into the sea. There are refreshments available in the town.

Budleigh Salterton
The high cliffs you first encounter here are famous as they contain the Budleigh Salterton Pebble beds. The beach here is made entirely of pebbles eroded from local cliffs. The pebbles were formed and transported in one of the giant rivers that flowed in this area into the Triassic dessert about 240 million years ago.

Budleigh pebbles are unique and often a oval shape and are composed of very hard materials so they survive being transported by the waves and can be seen all along the coastline from Slapton to Hastings in Kent.

Beaches:
Orcombe Point, Sandy Bay, Budleigh Salterton, Ladram Bay, Littlecombe Shoot, Jacob's Ladder, Sidmouth

The Dorset and East Devon coast provides a fascinating glimpse into the ancient past including the entire Jurassic period.

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