The 'Mouthy' Coast of East Devon
27 May 2024
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 37029 (YX63 ZVZ), an ADL Enviro200, changes drivers in Exmouth Parade, prior to setting out for Sidmouth. All photos in this article were taken on Wednesday 1 May 2024, except where stated.
I'm at Exeter's new-ish (2021) Bus Station in the City Centre. The old Bus Station, behind it, has been demolished but there's no evidence, even in 2024, of any work to develop the site.
ABOVE: The old Exeter Bus Station is currently a pile of rubble. The new one sits behind it.
I don't recall the old Bus Station, even though I definitely used it in circa 2015, actually to catch a service that I'll be using again later today.
The new Bus Station is quiet and calm at 0800 on this particular Wednesday morning - where are all the schoolkids? (Dotted around the city centre, as it turns out.) It's quite small in terms of passenger circulation space, but does at least give protection from the elements, and is light and airy.
ABOVE: Exeter Bus Station, around 0830 on Thursday 2 May 2024.
All the services operated from here seem to be provided by Stagecoach South West, and several of their vehicles are parked up in various of the 12 available stands.
And this seems to be part of the problem here, as there's a distinct prevalence of buses picking up from the wrong stand. In the 15 or so minutes that I am here, three services leave from the wrong places. How do I know this? Because each driver walks down the concourse shouting out their route number and revised departure stand - they are clearly well-used to this. (I must reference my article on buses using the wrong stands - here - which sets out the knock-on effects.)
The bus I am after is the number 58 to Exmouth. This is quite a rare beast - five round trips per day, plus one to Woodbury, a village half-way along the route. Passengers travelling between Exeter and Exmouth have the half-hourly 57 bus, but the 58 goes the long-way round, which always appeals to me. And a 58 is due at 0810, which nicely fits the window in which I like to start my travels.
There are two other people at Bay 8 when I arrive, but one wanders off. The incoming service arrives a few minutes beforehand, but Bay 8 is occupied at this point and the nearest empty Bay is number 11. The driver takes a stretch break and returns shortly before departure time, calling out "Route 58, Bay 11" as he passes Bay 8.
We leave a few minutes late (two minutes are lost by the driver looking for the ticket I want on his machine - but that's another story) with six passengers on board. We're on a modern ADL Enviro200 MMC.
The initial journey heads out of the city, initially on an east / south-easterly trajectory. There's a considerable volume of traffic heading in the opposite direction, but fortunately things are easier for us.
We pass two sites that amuse me. First, as we cross the M5 Motorway, we pass the Exeter Services, which I called into on my drive down to Cornwall in 2022 (go to the Regional Index, South West section, for the resulting articles). Second, just beyond in the village of Clyst St Mary, is the "Cat & Fiddle" Inn. This transports me (in my mind, obviously) straight to the "Cat & Fiddle" distillery in the Peak District, which is also coincidentally served by a route 58! And it's the 58 that features in my 100 British Bus Routes series at that!
This is a routine drive until we turn off the main Sidmouth Road to venture into the Greendale Business Park, after which we are suddenly in the middle of nowhere, on single-track lanes. Fortunately there is limited traffic heading the other way. This tight road enables us to call into the village of Woodbury Salterton (population 647). The word Salterton, which will come up again on today's journey, refers to "salt-workers" or "salt-settlers". Salt production in Devon is important - Devon Sea Salt even has its own website.
We head, via some more impossibly-narrow roads, into Woodbury itself, where we pick up several passengers, who know each other and know the driver. One of the group notes that the return bus from Exmouth on Monday "didn't run", and three people travelling to Woodbury had to share a cab to get home. Whether this was organised by the bus company or done on their own volition is not on record.
Back to main roads on the outskirts of Exmouth, and we're afforded a view across the River Exe towards Starcross.
ABOVE: Looking across the river, through the front of the bus!
We reach Exmouth, on time at 0911.
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 37478 (YX68 UUF), an ADL Enviro200 MMC, at Exmouth Parade.
In the 2011 Census, Exmouth was the fifth most-populous town in Devon. The town enjoys a "substantial" summer tourist trade, and is a popular base for sailing, kite sailing, paddleboarding, jet-skiing, wind-surfing, bird-watching, cycling and walking. The Exe Estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is noted in particular for its wading and migrating birds (a large part of the estuary lies within a nature reserve). There's lots more too - see Wikipedia.
ABOVE: Rolle Street in Exmouth (left) runs along one side of The Strand in the Town Centre
ABOVE: Exmouth Beach, looking north-west.
It's quiet in town, which is probably because it's not even 10am yet. As I head back to the Parade, I see something - or rather someone - to suggest that the tranquillity may not stay for much longer - a Town Crier, in full regalia, complete with bell, heading towards the Town Centre. Exmouth Town Council's website confirms that his name is Roger Bourgein, who "can often be found around Exmouth supporting good causes as well as welcoming visitors and spreading good cheer".
I would love to stay and listen to him, but I have a schedule! I am heading to Sidmouth next, on the 157; another Stagecoach South West service, but with a slightly older ADL Enviro200. The bus arrives in good time for its 1000 departure, and it's a decent crowd to start us off.
Right from the off this looks like being a busy service, and it lives up to that, with seats becoming in short supply at some points in the journey. Although we lose some of the initial passengers quite quickly, new ones come to take their place. The run to Budleigh Salterton is brisk (only 20 minutes). Several get off here but even more get on in their stead.
We're now 15 miles south-east of Exeter. Budleigh Salterton lies at the mouth of the River Otter, where the estuary forms a haven for migratory birds, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for bird watchers. There was a railway line here, but it was closed in 1967 and part of it has been turned into a cycle path (I think I spot a bit of the alignment from the 157).
Although Budleigh Salterton and our destination of Sidmouth are both on the coast, the 157 is heading inland now and won't return to the coast until Sidmouth itself. We squeeze through country lanes to access the village of East Budleigh. Sir Walter Raleigh (c.1552-1618), English Statesman and Explorer, was born nearby, and a statue was unveiled here in 2006. It's visible from the bus, which turns right here to provide a convenient frame for a photograph:
ABOVE: Sir Walter Raleigh's statue in East Budleigh, Devon
At Bicton Cross (of which more in a moment), we start a double-run of more than a mile in each direction to the village of Otterton, about a mile inland from Ladram Bay. First settled by the Saxons, it had become the centre of one of the major rural communities in Devon by about the year 1000, because of its favourable location.
There's a reversing space for buses at Ottery Street, after one has traversed a narrow quarter-mile section of road. Just after we have got back down this into the relative 'safety' of the village centre, the bus towards Exmouth appears. I'm very relieved it didn't turn up two minutes earlier, or we would have met it on the tight section of road, and might all still be there now!
Back to Bicton Cross after that 10-minute detour. There's a milepost here, known as the Old Guide Stone, that is Grade-II* listed (Grade II* is a sub-division of Grade II, but these properties are deemed to be of particularly special interest or national importance). It's dated 1743 but, despite being something interesting and clearly of historical importance, I haven't been able to find out much about it.
I manage to get a decent close-up through the window, but I recommend this web page for a better view of the whole structure.
ABOVE: Close-up of the Old Guide Stone at Bicton Cross
We reach Sidmouth on time at 1110. This picturesque seaside town nestles beneath Triassic red cliffs and the green hills of the Sid Valley, which has been in human occupation since at least the Iron Age, and possibly even earlier given the presence of Bronze Age burial mounds nearby. A large part of the town is a designated conservation area. There's a Sidmouth Folk Week every August, as well as a town brass band that has existed since Victorian times.
I have 10 minutes or so to pass before the next bus, the 9A to Seaton. There's a convenient interchange here called "The Triangle" - a row of three bus stops that all services through the town call into. The 9A turns up right on time at 1121 and we're soon on our way to Seaton. I have used this service before, all the way from Exeter to Seaton, but in those days, 10 or so years ago, I think it was called the 52A.
I'm on a double-decker for the first time today - an ADL Enviro E400 on a Scania chassis. The best view to be had on this section of the 9A is actually to be found by looking behind you as the bus pulls out of Sidmouth - the town is laid out below as we climb.
ABOVE: Looking back on Sidmouth
Actually there's some pretty nice scenery to be found on the descent into Seaton as well, but I have my eye on the clock as I have a tight connection into the Seaton Tramway, a narrow-gauge heritage tramway that runs between Seaton, Colyford and Colyton, travelling through two nature reserves. The bus is due into Seaton at 1151, and my recollection is of a five-minute walk to the Tramway. I want to catch the 1200 departure, but will I make it?
Not only is the bus on time, but there's a stop right outside. Whether this is a re-routing since my previous visit or just my faulty recollection I don't know, but it means I catch the 1200 service easily. This is important as the round trip, and a cup of tea at the far end, will take just shy of two hours, and I want to catch the 1400 bus back.
The Seaton Tramway operates over part of the former Seaton branch line, which closed in 1966. The tramway was established in 1970, and uses 14 tramcars of either half-scale or two-third scale, using a 2' 9" gauge, all based on classic British designs. The Tramway originally operated in Eastbourne, but had to move when the lease there expired in the late 1960s.
ABOVE: Seaton Tramcar no. 11 was built in 2002 and uses design elements from both Plymouth and Blackburn tramcars. It is seen at Riverside Halt, just outside Seaton itself.
From the Riverside Halt just outside Seaton (and by the depot), the tramway follows the old Seaton railway branch line northwards. As far as Colyford, this runs on an embankment separating the Seaton Wetlands, to the west, and the Axe Estuary, to the east, passing various nature reserves.
ABOVE: Looking across the Axe Estuary from the tram, one can see the village of Axmouth, including its Church (right)
It's on the tram that I have a minor mishap. I'm determined to get to the open top deck for the views and the fresh air, but the staircases on these trams are about half my width. I get up there without incident and, although it briefly starts raining (and one doesn't put a brolly up when there's an energised overhead power line above), it's a lovely drive.
ABOVE: Heading back into Seaton, and photographed from the top of a tram, the Axmouth Bridge can be seen (centre); the Harbour and Seaton Bay are beyond. Right in front of us is the Riverside Depot, and the tramway will veer sharp right at that point to head back to the terminus at Seaton.
As I get off the tram, using the tiny, angled steps, I slip and miss a step! The result is a sudden pain in my knee, which is an old injury. Very annoying - I'll be hobbling for the rest of the afternoon, and adding the whiff of Deep Heat to my hotel room for the next couple of days. (It probably says something about me that I always carry Deep Heat with me when I come on holiday...)
But don't get me wrong - I've very much enjoyed the Seaton Tramway - it's highly recommended for both transport and nature lovers (details here). It could be an article of its own - but this is a bus blog!
I make my way - slowly - to the seafront. As I walk, I wonder if a little enthusiasm for the day has waned.
ABOVE: Seaton seafront, with the Hooken Cliffs in view (left) and the appropriately-named Whitecliff closer by (right).
It hasn't. I reach the bus stop a few minutes early, at the same time as a bus on route 899 pulls in for Sidmouth - exactly where I want to go! So, rather than waiting for the 9A, I board this bus, with five other passengers, for the 1345 departure (leaving four minutes late).
ABOVE: AVMT Wright StreetLite WF MX62 GVZ stands in Seaton awaiting departure on route 899 to Sidmouth.
The 899 represents my first-ever journey with Axe Valley Mini-Travel (AVMT), a local operator that operates a dozen local and school routes in this area. My bus is a Wright StreetLite WF, and it immediately starts an ascent onto Castle Hill, climbing out of town through roads that look a bit too narrow for a midibus. I then discover that there's a double-decker following us, on route 885 (Axminster to Beer, another AVMT service)!
We reach the village of Beer, which looks out over Lyme Bay. Here, we lose all five of my fellow passengers but do gain four new ones. And it's here that the fun really begins...
We're taking a fairly direct route to Sidmouth, and we're only about a mile from the coast (the main road used by the 9A is twice as far). The only problem is that this road is about the same width as the bus. And, unlike the 58 in Woodbury Salterton earlier, there is traffic coming the other way...
We squeeze past one vehicle, then another, then more, as our highly-skilled driver negotiates the tight terrain. What a route like this is like on a dark winter's evening doesn't bear thinking about!
We reach the village of Branscombe (population around 500). But it's been worth holding my breath for 20 minutes, if only for a view of St Winifred's Church:
ABOVE: St Winifred's Church, Branscombe
The Church is partly Norman and may date back to 995 AD. It is built on a levelled area that can not be seen from the coast, and it's suggested that the choice of location may have been for protection of the original Saxon church from Viking raiders.
It's worth the bus coming here as well. Despite the remoteness and the tiny village, two passengers leave and four new ones join us.
Having navigated one side of the approach to Branscombe, we face similar territory as we leave, so I'm holding my breath again! I tweet a picture of a car going the other way along here, to give some perspective to how narrow the road is:
ABOVE: I have no idea how we got out of this! A car meets our bus in the narrowest of roads on the way out of Branscombe.
At one stage, two cars come along together. A bus is probably the last thing they would expect to meet on a road like this. The only way past is for the first car to pull into someone's driveway, and for the second car to follow (a long driveway)! Somehow, we get out of here and back to Sidmouth - a thrilling ride, but I don't envy the driver's task!
Thankfully, we have encountered only sensible car drivers on this route. When we get back into Sidmouth (about 13 minutes late at 1441), we encounter someone different. A driver with a blue badge has decided that this allows him to park in the middle of the bus interchange, while he nips to the Gents. This completely blocks the approaching 9A bus to Exeter until the 899 driver kindly reverses to allow it to pass!
Now I do understand that people using blue badges will have mobility issues, but even pulling across into the bus stop itself would have been less of a problem. Angry words are exchanged between the car driver and the driver of the blocked bus, with the words: "I have a blue badge - I can park where I like" being heard!
ABOVE: Judge for yourself... The silver car has 'parked' where you see it, whilst the driver uses the public convenience (just out of sight on the left). Meanwhile the 899 (AVMT Wright StreetLite WF MX62 GVZ) has reversed off its stand to allow the 9A (Stagecoach 15901 - WA13 GFG - space to pull in.
I had intended to catch route 9 from here - it follows the 9A from Exeter and splits at Sidmouth to head for Honiton. There's one due in a few minutes as well. But my knee pain makes me decide to cut my day short and head straight back to Exeter.
The 9A to Exeter is the same one that I would have caught if I had waited in Seaton, but the connection has become tight, and the bus has been right behind the 899 for the whole descent into Seaton. In fact, the selfish car driver delaying its progress may have helped me to catch it!
It's quite a long double-run to get the 9/9A into Sidmouth - over a mile each way and taking about 14 minutes in and out. But it's a vital traffic objective so well worth the detour.
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 15604 (GX10 HBO, "Dennis Mesher"), a Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400, works a service on route 9A towards Seaton. It is seen on Four Elms Hill, east of Newton Poppleford.
It's a very scenic run from Sidmouth back towards Exeter, on another Scania Enviro400, and a knee injury isn't going to stop me getting upstairs (and into the front seat when it becomes free further along).
It's a very scenic run from Sidmouth back towards Exeter, on another Scania Enviro400, and a knee injury isn't going to stop me getting upstairs (and into the front seat when it becomes free further along).
ABOVE: Stagecoach South West 15252 (YN65 XDR), a Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400, is heading for Seaton on route 9A, when seen in Fore Street, Heavitree, just outside Exeter.
I'm back into Exeter at 1540 (the bus is due at 1543) and I call it a day here. A little later, it starts raining heavily, so maybe the early finish wasn't a bad thing - just this once, mind!
Despite the injury, I've had a lovely day in East Devon, but with Exmouth, Axmouth and Sidmouth all on the map, it's no wonder if I'm feeling a bit mouthy!
