East Devon
The coastal landscapes, stretching from Lyme Regis to Exmouth, show the lush, highly coloured scenery of classic ‘postcard Devon’. Devon red sandstone meets the sea in a coastline of sheer high cliffs, steep wooded combes and coves, its line startlingly broken by the white chalk of Beer Head.
Inland, the landscape rises to high, flat and surprisingly remote plateaux, often topped by heathland commons, particularly in the west. In the north it breaks into the hilly country fringing Honiton. The plateau is incised by the north-south flowing rivers Axe, Sid and Otter which wind to the sea through quiet, hedge-bordered meadows.
The areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty is also increasingly important for informal outdoor recreation, particularly walking, and the South West Coast Path, a National Trail, follows the line of the cliff tops. The East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty includes the East Devon section of the Jurassic Coast – England’s first natural World Heritage Site
