Exmouth

A two-mile expanse of golden sands and rock pools is probably Exmouth’s most popular feature – but there is so much more to this superbly located resort. At the eastern end of the promenade is the impressive 5 metre Geoneedle at Orcombe Point, the beginning of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, which stretches eastwards along the coast to Poole, in Dorset. At the western end is the Exe estuary, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, home to a huge range of birds and other wildlife, which is particularly noted for its wading and migrating birds. Indeed, a large part of the estuary lies within a nature reserve. Inland, the town is surrounded by the beautiful East Devon countryside, including a number of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, while the legendary tors of Dartmoor National Park are just a 40-minute drive away.

Exmouth serves as a regional centre for a number of leisure industries, particularly water sports such as sailing, kite sailing, wind-surfing, paddle boarding and jet-skiing, with a 200 berth marina near the estuary mouth. You can also enjoy many other outdoor activities, such as cycling and bird-watching. And whether you are a keen walker or prefer a gentle stroll, there’s a huge range of local footpaths, not least the legendary South West Coast Path. Exmouth is also at the western end of the East Devon Way, leading to Lyme Regis.

The town, with its elegant Victorian seafront buildings, really has something for everyone, whatever your age or interests – making it an ideal place to live.

Leisure

The town provides an excellent choice of leisure facilities, including the well-equipped Exmouth Sport Centre, with indoor swimming pool, plus Exmouth Tennis Centre, Cranford Sports Club, football and rugby clubs, Exmouth Cricket Club, Exe Sailing Club, Exmouth Beach Rescue, Cubs and Scouts and many more.

When you are not outside enjoying the beautiful scenery, Exmouth offers a wide range of clubs and societies, such as a very active art club and a number of gardening groups. For the golfer, there are the well-known East Devon and Woodbury courses. And for both the young and young at heart, the Madeira Bowling Club is a popular choice.

Then, when it comes to spectator sports, there’s rugby’s 2020 European and Premiership Champions, the Exeter Chiefs, together with Exeter City football club, regular horse racing at Exeter, Newton Abbott and Taunton and county cricket at Taunton.

Education

Exmouth offers 8 primary schools, one secondary school (Exmouth College) and the new £10.5 million Deaf Academy. Post-16 education is also available at the nearby Exeter College. The University of Exeter offers a wide range of higher education degree courses. Alternatively, private, independent schools can be found at St Peter’s Preparatory school (Lympstone), The Maynards School (Exeter) and Exeter School.

Health

Health facilities are provided by four local medical practices, a wide choice of dental practices and Exmouth Hospital, with its minor injuries unit. The Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E) provides integrated health and care services across Exeter, East and Mid Devon. The nearest private hospital is the Nuffield in Exeter.

Transport & Commuting

There are excellent transport links with the M5 (junction 30) only 10 miles north of Exmouth, which provide access north towards Taunton (50 minutes), Weston-Super-Mare (80 minutes), Bristol (one hour 40 minutes), Cheltenham (two hours) and Birmingham (three hours). The M5 also connects up with the M4 for journeys to London (four hours) or into Wales. London can also be accessed via the A303/M3 (three hours 40 minutes). The nearest city, Exeter (30 minutes by road), sits close to the M5. South West Devon can be reached via the A38. An hour’s drive brings you to the historic city of Plymouth and the cross-channel ferry to Brittany.

Exmouth has its own train station located close to the town centre. Services are provided by Great Western Railway and connect to other services at Exeter St. David’s and Exeter Central, with a journey time of approximately 30 minutes. Known as the Avocet Line, this is acknowledged to be one of the prettiest train journeys in the country, with panoramic views over the Exe Estuary. Connections at Exeter serve direct lines to London Paddington or Waterloo stations, with journey times from two and a quarter hours.

Regular bus services are provided by Stagecoach, which serves various stops around Exmouth, as well as Exeter and the surrounding towns and villages in East Devon.

Exeter Airport is less than 30 minutes by road (11 miles), or for more choice, including some direct international flights, Bristol Airport is an hour and a half away (70 miles).

Shopping

Exmouth offers a wide range of shopping facilities, with a number of supermarkets or if you prefer, you can enjoy the traditional range of shops in the town centre. Award-winning independent farm shops are also conveniently located nearby, with Darts Farm (6 miles) and Greendale Farm (9 miles). You can find your high street favourites in the the historic cathedral city of Exeter (11 miles).

Food

Geographically, Exmouth is surrounded by Lyme Bay, the Exe Estuary and the East Devon countryside, which combine to offer an abundance of fresh local produce. For instance, when it comes to fish and chips, Exmouth boasts the 2020 national award-winner Krispies, along with the River Exe Café, which you can only reach by boat – but it’s definitely worth it for the renowned Exmouth mussels. And for special occasions, there’s Michael Caine’s Lympstone Manor and his Michelin starred restaurant. And needless to say, for a naughty but nice local treat, there’s always a traditional Devon cream tea – with the jam on top!

There are also a variety of local breweries, vineyards and distilleries – yes, you can get Exmouth gin – along with a great choice of pubs, cafes, restaurants and takeaways, all within easy reach.

Events

Yearly community events include the Exmouth Festival, which offers a week of free music, art and theatre (May/June), the Exmouth Kite Festival, which is a great hit for all ages (August), plus Spirit of the Exe – a splendid foody experience (September) and the ever-popular Christmas Day Swim for the very brave – or you can just stay warm and watch!

So rest assured, Exmouth has a comprehensive range of facilitates to suit all ages and tastes, all either in the town or within very easy reach. And just wait until you see a one of the fabulous sunsets over the Exe Estuary.