Exetours E2 Sidmouth

E2. Sidmouth

Stagecoach route 9/9A (double decker) 2 per hour - 25 (route 9) 55 (route 9A) past hour (August 2019). 50 minutes Exeter Bus Station to Sidmouth Triangle.

The bus leaves from outside Exeter's former East Gate and passes through Heavitree, once a separate village, now a suburb of Exeter. Note on the right the gothic revival St Luke's campus of the University of Exeter. Founded in the 1850s as one of the earliest teacher training establishments in the country, it now houses the School of Sport and Health Sciences, the Graduate School of Education and the Medical School. Further on, also on the right is Livery Dole, 16th century almshouses and a medieval chapel on a crossroads which also served as a site where malefactors were hanged or on occasion burned at the stake. After the motorway junction the route passes through Clyst St Mary beside the medieval bridge. Any families with young children will get off the bus a little further on to spend a day at Crealy adventure park. A possible short stop can be made in Newton Poppleford to look at the old thatched buildings, perhaps on the way back, if time permits, to have a cream tea in one of them, the Southern Cross guesthouse. The bus enters Sidmouth from the north and then continues to Honiton or Seaton, both worth a visit but not on the same day as Sidmouth.

Sidmouth

The bus arrives at the Triangle [1]. The majestic Regency Mansion beyond the lawns to the north is Kennaway House [2] which host exhibitions enabling the public to peep inside. Going towards the church Sidmouth Museum [3] is on the right and is well worth visiting, as is the neighbouring church [4], despite the fact that it received a Victorian makeover. This outraged a local antiquarian Peter Orlando Hutchinson, although he managed to acquire many discarded fragments for his house the Old Chancel [5], which can be seen at the end of Coburg Terrace by the bowling green. Continue down Church Street to the little market house [6], then left along pedestrianised Old Fore Street. This is part of the central shopping area of Sidmouth and there are a number of eating places. We often have a pensioner's fish and chips at the White Horse Café. At the end of Old Fore Street turn sharp right into Fore Street and follow through to the Esplanade, peeping into some of the side alleys. In the 19^th century this was the area where fishermen lived, huddled into terraces of small houses. Their way of life is beautifully captured by Stephen Reynolds in A poor man's house, first published in 1908. Arrived at the Esplanade [7] , it can be seen why Sidmouth is so proud of its "long print", a panorama of Sidmouth's sea front first published in 1814. 

Comparison with the rows of Regency buildings that line the sea front today show how little it has changed over two centuries. However the surface of the Esplanade hides a grim secret. Just before Christmas 2018 the discovery of one of the largest fatbergs of all time was an unwelcome present for the people of the town. A 62 meter long mass of congealed fat gathered around wetwipes, nappies and other indescribable detritus was removed over a period of eight weeks by an heroic team of sewer workers wearing breathing apparatus to shield them from noxious gases. The eighty tanker loads of debris, the equivalent of two blue whales, we are reliably informed, was used to generate electricity in a local  anaerobic digester. Turn left (eastward) along the Esplanade to where the little River Sid [8] enters the sea. Look at the impressive old red sandstone cliffs, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Jurassic Coast. But they are vulnerable, subject, as is much of the south Devon coast, to erosion. Look for tumbled rocks and fences and structures dangling from the top of the cliffs. Fishing boats are hauled up and there is a fish stall set back by the park. It is also the start of a pleasant walk by the Sid past a ford where an amusing few minutes can be spent watching the cars splash through the water, and then passing through the parklands of the Byes to emerge 3 km later on the A3052 where meals can be had at the Blue Ball pub. But we will continue back along the Esplanade admiring the early 19th century buildings, many of them with blue plaques giving their history. Leave the road and take the coastal footpath beneath the red sandstone cliffs. At the end climb the steps of Jacob's Ladder [10] to Connaught Gardens [11] with magnificent views of the cliffs towards Peak Hill. The gardens are worth exploring with their tea rooms, open-air theatre and views back over the town and along the cliffs as far as the Isle of Portland on a clear day. It is possible to return down Peak Hill Road toward the Esplanade past the red brick bulk of the Victoria Hotel [9], turning inland up Station Road to admire the elegant houses that make up Fortfield Terrace and reach the Triangle and the bus back to Exeter. As an alternative turn inland beside the car park along Manor Road to admire the houses and gardens that line this quiet road. Turn right down Glen Road to pass the Royal Glen Hotel [13], built in 1810, an unashamedly gothick structure. Turn left along the Esplanade and then inland to find the bus stop.