Weymouth to Paignton – Coastal Road Trip

Day 42 – Weymouth to Paignton

Today we will be driving 130 miles along the Dorset coast and into Devon. The distance is a little more than we had originally planned, as we decided to visit Portland Bill early this morning, rather than yesterday evening. The clocks also went back today, so we made an early start soon after sunrise.

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, Sidmouth, Cliffs, Beach, S W Coast Path — The cliffs at Sidmouth.

Weymouth

Coastal Road Trip, Weymouth, Beach, Swimmer, Swimming — An early Sunday morning stop at Weymouth Beach, and someone was already going for a swim in the sea. Looks chilly.

Coastal Road Trip, Weymouth, Drawbridge, Bridge, Harbour, Quay — Weymouth’s Drawbridge in the old town harbour.

Coastal Road Trip, Weymouth, Harbour, Quay, Old Town, Boat — We were the only people walking around the historic harbour on this very quiet Sunday morning.

Coastal Road Trip, Weymouth, Sandsfoot Castle — We stopped next at Nothe Fort, but it hadn’t opened yet for the day, so we drove on to Sandsfoot Castle. The castle had been completed in 1541 by Henry VIII to defend against attacks from the French and Spanish.

Isle of Portland

Coastal Road Trip, Isle of Portland, Olympic Rings, The Olympic Rings Stone Sculpture — After a quick stop at Portland Castle at the bottom of the hill, we continued on to The Olympic Rings Stone Sculpture. There were great views across Weymouth and Chesil Beach stretching west as far as the eye could see.

Coastal Road Trip, Isle of Portland, Portland Bill Lighthouse — Portland Bill’s current working lighthouse at the tip of the Isle.

Coastal Road Trip, Isle of Portland, Portland Bill, Old Higher Lighthouse, Branscombe Hill — The previous Old Higher Lighthouse, over a hedge and across fields at the top of Branscombe Hill…

Coastal Road Trip, Isle of Portland, Portland Bill, Old Lower Lighthouse — …and its sister, the Old Lower Lighthouse.

Chesil Beach

Coastal Road Trip, Portland, Fine Foundation, Chesil Beach — Driving back to the mainland, we drove along the edge of Chesil Beach (AKA Chesil Bank), that we had seen from the Olympic Rings. The 18 mile long shingle beach is one of the largest in Britain.

Abbotsbury

Coastal Road Trip, Abbotsbury, New Barn Road, Abbotsbury Abbey — Driving inland, almost parallel to Chesil Beach, through rolling green fields towards Abbotsbury Abbey.

Coastal Road Trip, Abbotsbury, Cows, Abbotsbury Abbey, B3157, Abbotsbury Hill, Chesil Beach — Looking back-down to Chesil Beach, past cows enjoying the lush grass.

Coastal Road Trip, Abbotsbury, B3157, Abbotsbury Hill, Swyre — As we continued along the coastal road between Abbotsbury and Swyre, we had far-reaching views west along the Jurassic Coast.

West Bay

Coastal Road Trip, West Bay, Beach, Cliffs, Julian, Jarno — The distinctively coloured East Cliffs, close to where one of West Bay’s original fishing harbour’s lay. The rich colour of the cliffs was caused by the oxidation of pyrite.

Coastal Road Trip, West Bay, Train, Cafe, The Station Kitchen — The remains of the old trainline and station, now a cafe.

Seatown

Coastal Road Trip, Seatown, Beach, Pebbles, Boat — A lone boat on Seatown’s pebble beach.

Charmouth

Coastal Road Trip, Charmouth, Beach, Cliff, Walkers, Golden Cap — A busy lunchtime at Charmouth, as beach walkers enjoyed the views towards the Golden Cap.

Lyme Regis

Coastal Road Trip, Lyme Regis, Harbour, Seagull, The Cobb, Sandy Beach — Views from The Cobb across Sandy Beach. Lyme Regis was absolutely packed with tourists, we were really lucky to find a parking space.

Beer

Coastal Road Trip, Beer, Beach, Dorset, Seaton — Leaving Dorset behind, we continued into Devon. After driving through Seaton, we made our next stop at the quaint little fishing village of Beer. It was surprisingly quiet. Perhaps everyone had gone to Lyme Regis for the day?!

Coastal Road Trip, Beer, Beach, Dorset, Fishing Boats, Cliffs — Fishing boats resting on their day-off under the white chalk cliffs.

Sidmouth

Coastal Road Trip, Sidmouth, Cliffs, Beach, S W Coast Path — The bright red Triassic cliffs of Sidmouth, glowing as the sun shone through a break in the clouds.

Coastal Road Trip, Sidmouth, Beach, RNLI, Lifeboat Man, Dummy — Collecting donations for the local lifeboat, but looking a little odd…

Budleigh Salterton

Coastal Road Trip, Budleigh Salterton, Beach, Promenade — More luminous red cliffs surrounding Budleigh Salterton’s bay and pebble beach.

Exmouth

Coastal Road Trip, Exmouth, River Exe, Dawlish Warren — Looking into the sun across the River Exe to Dawlish Warren from Exmouth Beach.

Cockwood

Coastal Road Trip, Cockwood Harbour, Boats — We continued our journey by looping north to cross the River Exe near Exeter. We then drove back down the west side of the Exe before stopping briefly at Cockwood Harbour.

Dawlish

Coastal Road Trip, Dawlish Warren, Pink Elephant, Funfair — A giant pink elephant towering above one of the funfair rides at Dawlish Warren.

Coastal Road Trip, Dawlish Warren Beach, Exmouth, River Exe — Exmouth beyond Dawlish Warren Beach and the River Exe.

Teignmouth

Coastal Road Trip, Teignmouth, Pier, Beach — The sun starting to set as we arrived at Teignmouth Pier and Beach.

Shaldon

Coastal Road Trip, Shaldon, Boat, Regatta, Teignmouth — Regatta boats neatly lined up on Shaldon Beach, with Teignmouth in the background on the other side of the River Teign.

Coastal Road Trip, Shaldon, Boat, Regatta — Shaldon was a lovely little fishing village to potter around, with its cosy lanes and Georgian cottages.

Torquay

Coastal Road Trip, Torquay, Thatcher Point, Thatcher Rock, Ilsham Marine Drive — Entering Torbay, we made our first stop at Thatcher Point, overlooking Thatcher Rock, and over to Brixham and Berry Head in the distance. Julian already knew Torbay well, as his parents and grandparents previously had homes there.

Coastal Road Trip, Torquay, Harbour, Night, Boats, Reflection — As the clocks had gone back today, the evening light faded early. So we made our final stop of the day in Torquay Harbour before driving to Paignton for the night.

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