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The Wessex Beaches |
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 BEER Beer is one of those picture postcards you can send home. Forget Portofino this is idyllic. The town of Beer is in south east Devon, England, UK. The name is not from the drink but from the English word for Woodland, due to the original forestation that surrounded the town. Close to Exeter, it is a picturesque coastal village that built up around a smuggler’s cove and the caves that allowed storage of the contraband goods. These are now part of the tourist attraction. Historically, fishing, smuggling, and lace production was said to be the main form of income to the town. Today, it’s tourism and fishing. The geology of the coast line allowed the seafarers of Beer to operate in weather conditions when other towns could not. Beer Bay is just down the road from Seaton and about 20 miles from Chard. Although the beach is pebbles it is secluded and surrounded by high cliffs. There are rows of deck chairs laid out and three beach eating cafes. Here you can taste the wonderful crab being caught in the Bay or many other gastromic delights.  The bay is famous for both Crabs and Lobster. On the slope leading down to the beach is a wonderful Wet Fish Shop where you can purchase the locally caught fish at very reasonable prices. The Fishing vessels are on the beach and you can go out on the boats there.  The Village is small but there are some interesting art shops there and pubs and restaurants.  Stone has been quarried in Beer since Roman times and, although now closed, guided tours are still given around the old workings.  |  LYME REGIS Do you remember that film " The French Lieutents Woman" ? It Was filmed in Lyme Regis. This is a bustling town with large Sandy Beaches where the smugglers used to come into. It was also where the Duke of Monmouth landed when he tried to take the British throne from James II.  Known as the Jurassic close there are many fossils in the area and they date from the Jurrassic period. You can either buy the fossils or search for them yourself. Also there is the famous Cob, which stretches out into the sea.  There are some lovely little narrow street walks with interesting art and curio shops.  Restaurants abound and you can also enjoy much of the local sea food. There is also a fine theatre and very interesting shopping.  As you stroll through the streets of Lyme you will feel that you are in a timeless zone. A delight for the kids and so much of interest.  Only thirteen miles from Chard and three miles from the famous carpet town of Axminster. There are many boat trips that you can take.  |  SIDMOUTH Fine buildings, gentle walks, stunning views – with so much to nurture, conservation is Sidmouth’s watchword. Its time warp ambience is the perfect prescription to relax and browse, be it a seafront deckchair for a quiet read or a bracing walk on Peak Hill to wonder at the magnificent panorama of sea and coast with Sidmouth spread below.  For the less energetic there is many a gentler stroll around town, park and garden and along the seafront linked by a walkway to the western beach at Jacob’s Ladder. The ford takes traffic across the River Sid and this you will find on the popular guided walks from the Heritage Centre that feature the historic landmarks of the town. As for the greenery of Sidmouth’s famous park, The Byes, it is a delightful riverside walk and yet another sanctuary for peace and quiet.  Much of Sidmouth’s history is gleaned from the Blue Plaques on the buildings which mirror the era when the Nobility and members of London Society built fine houses here. Many still exist, while others have become hotels without losing their Regency charm. The cob-walled Old ShipInn, originally thought to be a monastery, dates back to 1350 and it was certainly a smugglers’ rendezvous in the days of brandy for the parson and baccy for the clerk.  Fortfield Terrace is another example of the style of the day. Here, a double-headed eagle commemorates the stay of the Grand Duchess of Russia in 1831. She brought a retinue of 100 gentlemen, ladies and servants and among the guests at a reception she gave was the Sidmouth artist and historian, Peter Orlando Hutchinson, whose diaries and sketches are a vivid picture of 19th century life in Sidmouth. Copies are among the treasures at the Museum next to the ancient parish church of St. Giles and St. Nicholas. |