I love this walk for many reasons, one being that I hardly see anyone on it. From leaving the cycle trail to arriving at East Budleigh I didn’t see a single person on the walk; Perfect right now when social distancing is a priority! It also brings happy memories of walking around Hayes woods and Hayes Lane with a good friend of mine and our dogs. I also just love East Budleigh and all it has to offer in its little chocolate box village! I did end up up walking quite a few miles in the end, but that’s also due to doing a detour to Hayes Barton, but if you like a quiet walk with equal views of countryside and coast then this one is for you.

Views of East Devon villages and coastline from the footpath.

I started this walk at the Castle lane section of the Old Railway line between Exmouth and Budleigh. To get here you just turn right after the recycling centre along Salterton Road, if you’re coming from Exmouth towards Budleigh, or if you’re arriving from the opposite direction, then its the first turning on the left after the main Budleigh roundabout into Exmouth. There’s normally plenty of parking available on the roadside and the entrance to the Old Railway line is obvious to see from the road.

Once you spot the entrance to the railway line, you’ll see a map showing you where this trail leads, if you aren’t familiar with it then I definitely recommend walking along here, it’s a popular walk amongst cyclists, walkers and horse riders. It’s also worth looking back at old photos of the railway line and stations that used to be here before Dr Beeching closed them in the 60s. After you’ve had a look at the map, walk down the path infront of you and then turn right, where you’ll spot the bridge you were just on, which I’ll now be walking underneath.

This trail is always a peaceful walk, hearing the birds singing above and squirrels scurrying about, the light glistening through the blanket of trees onto the path. I also find it especially beautiful in Autumn, which I’m sure I’ll post about in a few months. When walking this path you can almost forget you’re walking alongside a fairly busy road. I carried on walking this path and soon saw a footpath to my left, this leads to Knowle and East Budleigh common. The local forest school is also situated in this woodland, it’s a lovely area to explore, especially the lane into Knowle with the stream flowing alongside you. I’m not going that way today though, instead I walk straight ahead, up a slope, until I reach the end of the trail.

As I exit the cycle trail, I then turn left up Bear Lane where I soon spot a figure of Winnie the Pooh to my left. Sadly this isn’t where he lives, but it is home to ‘Pooh Cottage’, a holiday park that I find aptly named due to the lane it is situated on. I carry on up this lane which boasts beautiful views of fields and the sea to my right, tall pine trees towering over me and a beautiful thatched cottage to my left, before I reach the end and then turn right down a dusty track.

Once I get to the bottom of this trail, there is a path going off to the left… don’t go this way. Instead, I carried on ahead where I pass a farm gate on my right and then another one round the corner to my left. These fields are home to dairy cows owned by Dalditch Farm. From here, I look back over to my right and catch a glimpse of the rooftops of Budleigh Salterton and the vibrant blue sea in the distance. I make my way up between the foxgloves decorating both sides of the track which takes me towards a path sheltered by woodland. As I carry on straight ahead, I spot a rope swing hanging from one of the trees on my right.

I continue on ahead until I reach two public footpath signs to my right, then take the path of the sign pointing to the left and follow it all the way, where it opens out onto Shortwood Common and eventually leads to a stile with a field on the other side. Once over the stile, I keep to the right as I walk along the outside of the field until I reach a metal gate with a public footpath sign directing me straight ahead.

I pass through the metal kissing gate ahead and take in the stunning views on offer along this track. From here I can see the beautiful rolling hills of the East Devon Countryside, with the sea on the horizon. Today was a fairly clear day so i was able to see the coast line, Peak Hill and Otterton Village. As I walked further up this path I could also make out East Budleigh village, which was where I was heading.

I can imagine the sun rising and setting would look stunning from this viewpoint, on a day like today I could make out the white cliffs of Beer and Branscombe. See if you can spot Bicton Obelisk from the top of this hill, it stands out to the left of East Budleigh.

I follow this track all the way round where I now have beautiful views to my left of farmland and a glimpse of East Budleigh down the hill. I eventually meet a stile where I then turned left up a country lane which leads to Hayes lane with an electricity substation right infront of me. From here I stopped to greet some friendly cows in a field and spotted a buzzard circling above, I then turned right down Hayes Lane. As I walked down this lane I could just make out All Saint’s church poking through the hedgerows ahead. From here I enter East Budleigh over a stream where I’m greeted with plenty of thatched buildings adding the character to this village. The first one I spot is Vicar’s Mead (photographed below) which is the old Vicarage. It was also a school for boys taught by the local Vicar. Sir Walter Raleigh was one of the boys educated here.

Plenty of thatched buildings adding character to East Budleigh.

I followed Hayes Lane to the end where I spot the Sir Walter Raleigh pub ahead. From here I turned left, up the hill and past the church to sit on a bench next to the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh before I headed home. If you don’t know East Budleigh well, then it is worth exploring this little village; It boasts so much character with its thatched cottages, Budleigh Brook running through it, plenty of flower boxes bursting with colour and the local roots of Sir Walter Raleigh born and raised in Hayes Barton just up the road.

Houses selling eggs and marmalade with All Saint’s church in the background.

I headed back home the way I came, but first I took a detour 15 minutes up the other end of Hayes Lane (past the electricity substation) to see Hayes Barton. It’s been a few years since I’ve walked this way and had a glimpse of the home where Sir Walter Raleigh and his family lived. It’s worth a walk up if you haven’t been before but bear in mind it will add time onto this walk (I ended up walking about 7.5 miles today). From here I then walked back via Hayes woods and rejoined the field with the stile.

Hayes Barton, birthplace of Sir Walter Raleigh.

A glimpse of Hayes Barton in the background.

As I headed back to Castle lane the sun was getting lower, which then lights up the trees along the Old Railway line as I walked under the bridge, and back to my parking spot. The Old Railway is a lovely walk in its own right even if you don’t want to walk all the way to East Budleigh.

I took quite a few photos (as usual) of my surroundings on my walk today and also of the beautiful village, so I’ll add more photos to my instagram account which is linked on here if you don’t know it already. (Or you can click here)

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this website, mainly due to other commitments getting in the way (work and a new baby!), but I’m hoping to stay updated on this website again now, especially with the current situation in place with a global pandemic, I’ve found a little bit of spare time.

I’ve started with a fairly local walk, it’s one of my favourites, but also due to the restrictions we’ve recently had, I’ve been revisting more local areas since the rules have been relaxed. This walk from Otterton to Ladram Bay rarely gets that busy; I think its mainly local people who walk it, as most people who come to Ladram Bay tend to park closer. This walk is great for those of you who enjoy walking the country lanes and coast path, as it can include both, you can make it a circular walk too, as there’s plenty of routes you can choose to get to the Bay. It offers beautiful views of the coast and countryside, and on a clear day you can see the red and white cliffs of the East Devon Coast line.

I tend to start this walk by parking along one of the side roads off of Fore Street. Normally Maunder’s Hill by the local primary school, as there is plenty of parking along the street here, and it can lead straight up to the public footpaths heading to the Bay. Once parked up, I usually head up the the road and turn left onto the road named Behind Hayes, this route is quicker to the coast and a bit easier to do than the longer ones walking all the way up Maunder’s Hill. Along this road be sure to appreciate the beautiful country houses and chocolate box cottages that Otterton has to offer, then at the end of the road, turn right which will take you up to Stantyway Farm. This farm is part of Clinton Devon Estate, if you look to your right (once lockdown is over) you’ll see the ‘Honesty Cafe’ that Stantyway Farm have provided, which hosts a small selection of cakes and refreshments for you to help yourself to, in return for a donation. They even have dog biscuits so your four legged friends don’t feel left out!

Be sure you take in the beautiful views of East Devon countryside from this viewpoint, before heading left down a public footpath towards the Bay. For those of you who don’t fancy a longer walk, you can park up by the farm around the green, although parking is limited and may get busy at certain times of the year. As you walk past Otterton recreation ground, you’ll follow a country lane that leads to a beautiful thatched cottage on your left.

A beautiful thatched cottage on the way to the coast.

When you see this cottage, you know you’re on the right track, and are about to be treated to beautiful views of Ladram Bay once you walk down the public footpath to your right. On this walk, you’ll notice signs on a lot of the gates that explain what is growing in the fields, these fields belong to a local farm shop called ‘Greendale’ which is worth a visit if you haven’t been before.

Greendale farm sheep grazing in a field, overlooking Ladram Bay.

You’ll soon see a kissing gate that leads you to the field that boasts beautiful views of Ladram Bay and beyond. On a clear day you can see Sidmouth, Weston mouth, Salcombe Regis and Branscombe in the distance. Pass this kissing gate and follow the path on the outside of the field all the way round and down towards Ladram Bay Holiday park. There is normally cattle or sheep grazing in these fields, so be sure to keep dogs on leads, especially when it’s lambing season. Greendale Farm will put a sign on the gate before you enter this field, warning you if there are any livestock grazing.

Thatched cottage on the way down to Ladram Bay.

Once you leave this field, you’ll enter Ladram Bay Holiday Park, follow the signs that lead you down towards the beach. Be aware that the beach itself is not dog friendly, however the coast paths and adjoining exercise fields are. The pebble beach is a short walk down a slope with a beautiful thatched cottage on the left, there’s also an ice cream shack and public toilets just before you reach the beach, which are available to use during the peak season.

Be sure to sit and enjoy this lovely little Bay, especially in the off season when it’s not bustling with holiday makers. Ladram Bay is a popular holiday park which is usually always busy during the summer, one benefit of this is ‘The Three Rocks’ restaurant and bar which is open to the public and has a lot of tasty locally sourced food to offer. I’ve written previously about the walk we did from Ladram Bay to Peak Hill, which is definitely worth doing too.

Ladram Bay isn’t just popular with holiday makers, each time I visit there’s normally a few people kayaking or paddle boarding around the stacks. We’ve also taken our kayaks here before, during the winter season when parking is free at Ladram Bay (between November and March). When I visited last week, there was even a few people braving the water, going for a swim.

Ladram Bay, popular with Kayakers and Paddle boarders.

Once ready to leave the beach, follow the same path that leads back to the field to the left. You can then make your way back the same way you came, or carry on straight ahead towards the coast path to Budleigh Salterton. Don’t worry, there’s a path on the right that then leads back towards Otterton from this coast path, so you don’t have to walk all the way to Budleigh.

The coast path from Ladram Bay leading to Otterton and Budleigh Salterton.

Follow this coast path which has beautiful views of rolling hills to the right and the blue sea to the left, and eventually you’ll see a footpath sign that informs you to turn right down a path towards Otterton. Follow this path, and be sure to look back towards the bay, and take in the glorious surrounding views of the coast and countryside.

Looking back at the views of the Jurassic Coast.

Follow this path all the way round, past a South West Water plant, and eventually onto Stantyway Road again; here you can turn right which will take you back towards where Stantyway Farm is, or turn left and walk further down the lane into Otterton. For those of you who enjoy geocaching, Otterton has quite a few to offer including a great circular walk along the coast path, country lanes and River Otter walk. I like a long circular walk, so I chose to turn left and walk down the country lanes that eventually lead me back towards my parking spot on Maunder’s Hill.

Along this lane, you’ll eventually see a sign pointing left towards the River Otter and a cow shed on the right; Don’t turn left, but walk past the cow shed and follow the lane that will soon become a hill but then descends into Otterton. Be sure to take a look at the views of the countryside over the farm gates, and listen out for pheasants as they run through the fields.

The River Otter Path to the left, the Cow Shed to the right.

Eventually you’ll see a lane to the right that leads back towards Stantyway Farm, ignore this path and carry on down towards Otterton. You’ll soon leave the fields behind and be greeted with houses and cottages as you descend into Otterton. If you parked on Maunder’s Hill, carry on walking down this road and you’ll soon be back to where you started. You’ll also see St Michael’s church on the left. If you don’t know Otterton very well, then be sure to visit The King’s Arms pub and Otterton Mill for a drink or cream tea. I do this walk a lot, but tend to mix it up a little bit each time, by taking a different path, or walking along the river towards Budleigh Salterton or Colaton Raleigh, all these paths are clearly signed for those of you unfamiliar with the area, so give it a go and enjoy exploring Otterton.

Views of Ladram Bay and the Jurassic Coast.

Castle Lane to East Budleigh Footpaths

Otterton to Ladram Bay Stroll