Day 50: Exmouth to Sidmouth: red cliffs, pretty towns, and holiday parks

Another nice morning greeted myself and Dennis for his second day on the path. As we leave Exmouth, which feels a very nice town, we discover the most amazing beach, odly called Maer Rocks, which is a good mile of fine sand, and would not be out of place anywhere in the world. The walk along the lengthy promanade, starts to make us nervous as we cannot see a way out, but at the last moment a zig zag path takes us up a steep ascent to the aptly named High Land of Orcombe. This is now all part of the Jurassic Coast and a marker details how the land formation occured and how it differs from here all the way to Swanage. We turn inland of Straight Point Range all the time now skirting one of the biggest holiday parks in the Country at Sandy Bay. There are lots of people preparing for their day, and the ranges look set to be in full operation, possibly as part of the D day commemorations. This whole area played a massive part in preperation and launch of the invation on this day 80 Years ago. After passing East Devon Golf Course we decend towards the town on Budleigh Salterton, which must hold the record for the most memorial benches in Britain. Again this has the feel of a lovely genteel town, and we stop for a cup of tea and meet some very lovely people, including a group of 20 plus army cadets. We then continue along the promenade towards the mouth of the River Otter, and the path signs point towards a crossing that is not there. After testing the depth of the fast flowing river, we turn back and find the new route that takes you a mile up the river estuary in what looks like a newly formed wetland area. Back down the other side and the fun now starts with some high climbs, that we tackle with aplomb, past Danger Point and Black Head and up to Brandy Head where there is a memorial to Sir Bennett Melvill Jones CBE,AFC, FRAeS, FRS, who led the gunnery research units between 1940 and 1943, from this sight, again a link to D Day. We pass another big mobile home site at Ladram Bay and the sun is now fully out and displaying the amazing colours, mainly red, of the rock formations along this coast, I cannot fully describe the colours and the sheer scale of these cliffs, and unfortunately the amount of erosion that looks to be taking place. Another big climb to High Peak eventually brings Sidmouth into view. Again a very well presented town, all well maintained and full of visitors helping to create the buzz of a happy place. A lovely days walking, another 13 miles chalked off bringing the total to 527 miles covered to date. Every day something different, and still making me so proud to live in such a wonderful Country, that those brave men and women fought for as we remember the 6th June 1944.

Entering Sidmouth,  do not like the look of the climb out
Amazing rock formations
The river crossing we did not attempt
River Otter Wetlands
Budleigh Salterton
A huge holiday park
Exmouth beach

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