Exetours E1 Exmouth

E1. Exmouth

Stagecoach route 57 (double decker) 4 per hour - 00 15 30 and 45 past hour. 41 minutes Exeter Bus Station to Exmouth Parade. Possible stop Topsham.

Great Western Railway. 2 per hour - 16 49 past hour. 30 minutes Exeter St David or Central to Exmouth. Possible stops Topsham, Lympstone

The 57 bus route leaves Exeter along the Heavitree Road, turning right down Barrack Road then left along the Topsham Road to Topsham. This little town is worth a visit and is described in more detail in route XS. The bus turns left before the town centre. As it passes the station on a level crossing note the name Topsham cut in topiary on the right. The route continues over the River Clyst with its tide mill past the award winning farm shop Dart's Farm and then turns right following the high ground above the Exe Estuary. From the top deck there are fine views over the Exe estuary towards Powderham Castle and of elegant early 19^th century country houses. The bus passes the villages of Ebford and Exton and the Marine Commandos training centre. The village of Lympstone with its little harbour is worth exploring, but this is probably better done by train or from the Exe Estuary path from Topsham to Exmouth. At the entrance to Exmouth nearly opposite the first petrol station on the right is the National Trust property of A La Ronde, which is worth a visit. Take care when going up Summer Lane which is narrow, has no pavement and is infested with demon drivers. 

A La Ronde 

An eighteen-sided National Trust property about 200 metres back from the main road on a raised site with good views over the Exe Estuary and the sea. A La Ronde was built in 1798 by Misses Jane and Mary Parminter, an idiosyncratic cottage orné with a design based on the church of  San Vitale in Ravenna. It is crammed with bric-à-brac either brought back from their travels or crafted by themselves in shells, sand, leaves, feathers and paper. Recover from this sensory overload in the tearooms and seek out the nearby Point in View, a diminutive chapel built by the Parminters in 1811. The point the ladies had in view was the conversion of Jews to Christianity.  

To avoid a tedious slog through uninspiring suburbs it is best to continue by bus into central Exmouth.

Exmouth

The oldest of Devon's seaside resorts, Exmouth is a seaward extension of the older inland villages of Littleham and Withycombe Raleigh. Prior to the late 18th century it was a small fishermen's village. It was then discovered by the leisured classes of Exeter and bathing machines arrived followed by development along the Beacon and elsewhere from the 1790s. The bus stops first in the Parade [1] and then in Rolle Street by the Strand, an open space in the centre of Exmouth. The railway station is nearby [2]. From the roundabout that links the Parade, Rolle Street and Imperial Way (which leads from the railway station), pass along the Strand [3], keeping the open space with the war memorial to your left to reach the entrance to Manor Gardens. On the other side of Chapel Hill near the entrance to the gardens the Chronicle Restaurant has a blue plaque commemorating the novelist E. R. Delderfield who worked as a reporter on the Exmouth Chroncle. Cut through Manor Gardens [4] and along Alexandra Terrace to the sea front. In the gardens to the left can be seen the Imperial Hotel and in its ground the Temple of Theseus [5] built in 1824 together with the Tower of the Winds (now demolished) and set in a landscaped park. Alexandra Terrace [6] and Manston Terrace, round the corner on the esplanade, are grand Italianate developments dating from the 1870s. Turn right (westward) along the Esplanade towards the former Dock [7]. Stuart Line cruises along the coast and up the Exe Estuary leave from Pier Head. The Dock was a venture starting in 1867 and reconstructed in 1882. It continued to operate until 1989. Cross the bridge, near which the ferry leaves for Starcross, and walk around the docks to admire the modern housing developments and the views across the mouth of the estuary to Dawlish Warren. These upmarket apartments for boaty types replaced a shanty town of chalets along Shelly Road which had a strong community spirit. Retrace your steps along the Esplanade (or on the beach at low tide). The Esplanade with its gardens passes by the Jubilee Clock Tower [8] in front of the Imperial Hotel, a number of eating places, including the Pavilion and the Ocean leisure complex and also the old lifeboat station [9], a granite building dating from 1903. Beyond this the Esplanade continues as the Queen's drive, an area undergoing redevelopment, so the beach is a better alternative to reach the new lifeboat station [10] where it is usually possible to view the RNLI lifeboat or, if you arrive at the right time, to watch the training sessions. The seafront ends with the Marine Drive which leads to the new red sandstone cliffs by Orcombe Point [11]. Climb the slope to the start of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Jurassic Coast, 150 kilometers and 185 million years of geological history. Return along the clifftop path with extensive views across the bay towards Dawlish, Teignmouth and Berry Head, 25 kilometers away on the far side of Torbay. Once the road is reached Arts and Craft devotees may wish to turn right up Foxhole Hill to seek out the Barn [12], a house dating from 1896 and now a hotel. Return to cross Maer Lane and follow Maer Road to join the footpath across the sandy meadows known as the Maer [13] to Carlton Hill. Turn right up Carlton Hill above the Ocean Leisure Centre, then left along Louisa Terrace [13] developed from the 1820s to reach the Beacon [15].

View from the Beacon, Exmouth. - Exmouth: Bounsall, [1845?]. 

Steel line engraved vignette ; 73 x 95 mm. Somers Cocks 1074.

Lined with Regency houses, this terrace dominates the early 19^th century engravings of Exmouth seen from the sea and Dawlish Warren across the mouth of the Exe estuary. Look for the plaques commemorating notable residents, including Nelson House, where Lady Nelson, the estranged wife of the victor of Trafalgar, lived from 1803 to 1829. She was buried in Littleham Churchyard in 1831. Number 19, named Byron Court is where Lady Byron and her daughter Ada came to live after Lord Byron deserted them in 1823. On marriage Ada became the Countess of Lovelace and achieved fame by assisting Charles Babbage, the pioneer of computing. She is also remembered in Totnes Museum. It is possible to continue down the Beacon to the Strand where the bus can be taken to Exeter from the stop in Rolle Street [18].  Those with more stamina can head back inland to Holy Trinity Church [16], built between 1824 and 1825 by John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle at the cost of £13,000 as a chapel of ease for Littleham and largely remodelled between 1905 and 1907. Pass along the early 19th century houses in Bicton Place to cross Rolle Street, named after the Rolle family, the main landowners in the area. This cut across earlier streets in 1866, making exploration of the early parts of central Exmouth difficult, but an impression can be gained by looking at Bicton Street [17] before continuing down Rolle Street to the bus stop by the Strand [18].  There is a town museum in Sheppard's Row off Exeter Road, not far from the Parade bus stop [1] but it is under threat at present.