Sidmouth to Branscombe, Devon

The five miles of the south Devon coast from Sidmouth to Branscombe is all similar in appearance, backed by crumbling cliffs and slopes of red mudstone - initially the Sidmouth Mudstone, changing about half way, after a brief exposure of the Arden Sandstone Formation, to the Branscombe Mudstone. Below are beaches of sand and pebbles, and a few patches of boulders, plus occasional colourful formations of gypsum and alabaster.

The beaches here are quite steeply sloping so the intertidal zone is narrow, just 50 feet wide in some places, yet all is easy to walk along, for a few hours either side of low tide; there are no significant obstructions. However, the western access to the this stretch, at beach level from Sidmouth, is currently blocked due to the danger of rockfalls from the adjacent cliffs - this being the highest and most unstable section. The closure is effected by means of a locked gate along the access path which leads to the beach, beside the lower end of the River Sid; the river plus the wall of a breakwater prevent straightforward access from the beach to the west, and yet it is still easy enough to climb around the gate and so still access the beach, and there is no closure if approaching this area from the east. In this direction, there are four other beach level access points, between Sidmouth and Branscombe; after 1.1 miles at Salcombe Mouth, 2.2 miles at Weston Mouth and from several places along Branscombe Beach, around 3.5 miles.


The distance along the coast path from Sidmouth to Branscombe is 6 miles, mostly through fields and rough grassland, with just a few wooded areas, incorporating two steep descents and climbs across valleys, and so the walk offers good views of the sea most of the way. The round trip, described below, is 11 miles, therefore, out along the beach and back along the path.

Parking

A suitable parking place in Sidmouth is along York Street, very close to the coast. A nearby path crosses the River Sid via a footbridge, to a junction; right is the short closed path down to the beach, while left is the coast path, which climbs through a patch of trees and meets a residential street that now forms part of the route. Originally the course was right along the brink of the cliffs, below a line of gardens, but this is permanently closed due to landslips.

Salcombe Hill Cliff

The closed path drops down over a small cliff to the pebble beach beside the mouth of the River Sid, at the foot of low cliffs that get steadily higher to the east - red-brown layers of the Sidmouth Mudstone, with several boulder piles showing where sections have recently fallen. These rocks are Salcombe Hill Cliff, which extends just over a mile, until the land dips down steeply to Salcombe Mouth, where a tiny stream flows onto the beach and a short path zig-zags up to the coast path above. In a few places below the cliff are wave-carved rock formations, including flat terraces and curving, semi-subway-like channels, but otherwise this section is rather featureless.

Maynard's Cliff to Weston Mouth

East of Salcombe Mouth the red mudstone banks rise again, now Maynard's Cliff, largely overgrown, with much less exposed rock. The beach below is more boulder-covered, again the result of landslips; many of the fallen slabs are from the Upper Greensand Formation, coarse-grained sandstone, which overlies the mudstone. Other rocks hereabouts include many large boulders, crossed by bright orange veins of alabaster. Next are Higher Dunscombe Cliff followed by Lower Dunscombe Cliff, both equally overgrown, and another valley, Weston Mouth, a popular beach access point (especially with naturists), where the coast path comes right down to sea level. The beach now is mostly sand, and remains broadly similar all the way to Branscombe.

Weston Mouth to Branscombe

Walking east of Weston Mouth, the beaches are known successively as Western Ebb, Littlecombe Shoot, Branscombe Ebb and finally Branscombe Beach, while above are Weston Cliff, Coxe's Cliff, Berry Cliff and Branscombe West Cliff. At Littlecombe Shoot, below Coxe's Cliff, the slopes above are crossed by various tracks and paths, and dotted with many small buildings, mainly holiday residences, some right above the beach. All are accessible only on foot; there are no roads here. On Branscombe Beach are more photogenic alabaster formations, particularly rich red/orange in colour. The beach widens as Branscombe Mouth approaches, another popular place, often very busy in summer.

Coast Path: Branscombe to Weston Mouth

The westwards coast path from Branscombe starts by climbing steeply up a grassy slope along the rim of West Cliff, into quite dense woodland, rising over 400 feet, moving well out-of-sight of the coast, around the perimeter of the long-disused Branscombe Down Quarry and back south, up a bit more and out to fields along the top of Berry Cliff. The path runs past the site of Berry Camp, an Iron Age hill fort, staying fairly level, later veering inland a way to pass a dry valley (Littlecombe Hollow), then back towards the rim of the cliffs, level again, before a steep descent, down by over 500 feet, right to the beach at Weston Mouth.

Coast Path: Weston Mouth to Sidmouth

The path up on the west side of Weston Mouth rises over a field and then through woods, along the edge of another ancient quarry, around a larger dry valley (Lincombe) and alongside two fields before the next descent, to Salcombe Mouth, where it stays around 150 feet above the sea. The final section starts with a another climb, of 350 feet, then past more fields, down through a patch of airy woodland and a grassy slope, to a street, Alma Lane, from where several more streets take the coast path back to the bridge over the River Sid.