Devon, Again

Today has provided us with more beautiful places in Devon.  What a treasure this county is, wish we’d discovered it years ago!  Met some some people at the Anchor Inn last night and asked them what we should see today and they suggested some towns north of Exeter so we set sail for Sidmouth, Beer, Seaton and Lyme Regis.  Took about an hour which included a couple wrong turns but absolutely worth it!  All these towns have magnificent scenery, most seem to be built on steep slopes and it’s not hard to see why people flock to them.  The town of Sidmouth was so cute, we went to the tourist centre for a couple of maps then had lunch in a quaint little theatre restaurant.  The folk festival is about to start!  Then back to the tourist place as G had already lost his maps.  On then to Beer, a town which is known for producing lace along with Honiton, (anyone my age or older will recognise that name).  Beer is also known for its quarry caves.  G actually had a tour of the caves, only went half way though as figured I might be getting frustrated waiting in the car but I’d already had a little snooze and a catch of breath!!!  

Beer Quarry Caves are a vast man-made complex of underground caverns created by centuries of quarrying the famous Beer Stone. The underground quarry, first worked by the Romans, supplied stone for 24 cathedrals including Exeter and St.Pauls, parts of Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Hampton Court and Windsor Castle.

Quarried by hand, with a small block weighing 4 tons, the stone was carted on horse-drawn wagons and by barges from Beer beach to its destination, sometimes involving journeys of several hundreds of miles. The quarry closed around 1920. The caves have halls of vaulted roofs and pillars of Beer Stone which have been likened to a vast underground cathedral.

The caves are internationally important as a bat hibernaculum. Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bats, along with a few other types use the caverns to hibernate in the winter. (A little bit of info)!! We didn’t have a beer at Beer, instead had an ice cream.  

On then to Seaton, quite near to Beer, and just as pretty.  Last stop was Lyme Regis, just over the border into Dorset.  It’s know as the ‘Pearl of Dorset’ and is situated at the heart of the Jurassic Coast.  There are fossil shops everywhere!  Too much about Lyme Regis to write but it has an amazing history. The Cobb is an small artificial harbour created around the the time of Edward 1. It features in the film ‘The French Lieutenants Woman’. 

The steep narrow streets of Lyme reflect its long history and the Georgian architecture is contemporary with its prosperity in the 18th century when sea bathing became fashionable. Enjoyed cream tea at the Royal Lion Hotel.  Back nearer ‘home’ we stopped at the Anchor Inn at Cockwood 😭 and had a beer!