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Plymouth – Maritime
Heritage
 From the Cremyll ferry to Jennycliff, Plymouth’s Waterfront
Walkway opens up aspects of the city that many might miss.
At its centre, Plymouth Hoe displays the vast natural harbour
of Plymouth Sound; busy with vessels large and small, it
really is a stunning scene. To the east, contrast this with
the quieter, more intimate Hooe Lake - almost landlocked
it has provided shelter for seafarers since before Roman
times.
Between the two lies the Barbican, which grew from a Saxon
fishing village to become part of an important Elizabethan
port. Elsehere, naval influences abound – the Royal
William Yard was built to supply the Royal Navy with beef,
biscuit and beer – while Coxside and Cattedown are
Plymouth’s oldest industrial areas.
South Devon – Off
the Beaten Track
 As you walk the Coast Path in South Devon you will come
across one of the area’s most characteristic features
- its beautiful drowned estuaries, often lined with trees
down to the water’s edge. Each one has its own feel
from the tranquil Yealm and Erme to the bustling Dart with
its lively waterfronts and endless activity of yachts, boats
and naval vessels.
Between the estuaries, plateaux terminate in an impressive
line of cliffs. In places, raised beaches show where sea
levels were higher during the warm phases of the last Ice
Age. The off-shore rocks and stark headlands of Bolt Head,
Bolt Tail and Start Point contrast with hidden coves and
more open beaches. Features such as lighthouses, daymarks
and coastguard cottages and the lost village of Hallsands
are reminders of the perils associated with the coast.
Torbay, Teignbridge and
Dawlish – The Riviera Coastline
 Tourism has given these archetypal resorts a rich legacy
of seafront parks, promenades, palm trees and pines and white
Riviera-type buildings. A feeling of elegance prevails and
can transport you to a bygone age, particularly if you avoid
the holiday season. Brixham, situated in southern Torbay,
is different with the sights, sounds and smells of a traditional,
bustling fishing port.
You may be surprised to find these townscapes interspersed
with some very striking cliff scenery. The red sandstone
cliffs of Dawlish and Teignmouth contrasts with the limestone
headland of Berry Head with its unique plantlife, seabird
colonies and Napoleonic fort.
East Devon and West Dorset – A
Coast of Many Shades
 This
stretch of coast is very distinctive with undulating farmland
reaching to the cliff edge, steep valleys and cliffs that are
often unstable.
From Exmouth to Sidmouth towering cliffs display the red
rocks for which Devon is so well-known. At Beer Head and
Seaton Hole, the country’s most westerly outcrop of
chalk results in characteristic white cliffs and chalk downland.
Further east, beyond Lyme Regis, the cliffs culminate in
Golden Cap, the highest point on the south coast.
Another dominant feature of this section is the dramatic,
tumbling landscape of its Undercliffs - near Beer, and between
Axmouth and Lyme Regis. Here you will find a magical landscape
of dense and luxuriant growth, and unexpected landforms and
features.
The Isle of Portland - A Land of Sea and Stone
 After the soft landscape of East Devon and West Dorset,
Portland provides another wonderful contrast. Not beautiful
in a conventional way, the Isle is rugged and exhilarating,
jutting out into the English Channel and dominated by the
elements.
There are steep, rugged cliffs with immense fallen blocks
of rock at their base. Everywhere, you will find evidence
of quarrying for Portland Stone - quarried faces, strewn
slabs of stone and a jumble of tracks. Fortuneswell, Weston,
Easton and Southwell are substantial stone villages that
stand out in the landscape of rough grass and gorse scrub
enclosed in a regular pattern of dry stone walls.
Purbeck – A Special
Character
 Here the coastline reflects the changing geology. Chalk,
limestone and shale cliffs are punctuated by striking features
such as Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and Old Harry Rocks, a
draw for students and visitors alike.
The coastal limestone plateau with its drystone walls and
isolated buildings contrast with the fine beaches and extensive
heathland at Studland, or the wide sweep and rocky ledges
of Kimmeridge Bay. Old cliff quarry workings at Seacombe,
Winspit and Dancing Ledge are legacies of an industrial past.
You will also pass quirky man-made features - the Clavel
Tower at Kimmeridge, St Aldhelm’s Chapel and the Great
Globe at Durlston.
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