Branscombe Beach Devon

Branscombe Beach, Devon

Beautiful Branscombe, Devon

Branscombe Beach in Devon. — Branscombe Beach, Devon

Branscombe Beach in south Devon on the Jurassic Coast is one of the county's finest beaches.

A long, shingle beach, it is backed by typically Devonian red cliffs and forms part of the South West Coast Path. Parts of the cliff have beach huts built in to them.

20 miles west of Exeter on the A3052, Branscombe Village is also within easy reach of Colyton, Honiton, Seaton and Lyme Regis.

From the beach there is a steep, clifftop walk east to Beer past the Hooken cliffs.

The view out to sea. — The view out to sea

History

The pretty village of Branscombe is on the Jurassic Coastline and is said to be the longest in Britain. Whether that is true or not is up for debate. The village does, however, have some lovely thatched cottages and three historic properties managed by the National Trust.

These are the Old Bakery, Manor Mill and the Old Forge (see the images below).

Nowadays, the village has a permanent population of only around 500 people with over half aged over 50. However, during Branscombe's hand-made lace-making heyday from the 17th to the 19th centuries, the population was more numerous and younger.

There are a couple of pubs in the village. These are the Manor Arms (which also has rooms) and the Fountain Head Inn in the nearby hamlet of Street. Also, visitors can enjoy a selection of delicious cakes and a Devon cream tea at the Old Bakery.

The 2.7 km-long Branscombe Trail takes in the Old Bakery, the two pubs, the Forge, Manor Mill and St Winifred's Church.

Once a haven for smugglers, Branscome had something of a Whisky Galore! moment in 2007, when the container ship MSC Napoli was damaged in the English Channel by a storm. The 26-man crew were rescued by helicopters but the vessel was beached at Branscombe to salvage of the cargo. Locals and people who came from all over the UK made off with several items of cargo during the procedure. The official report notes: "Boxes of shampoo, wine barrels and even BMW motorcycles, still in their packing crates, were manhandled off Branscombe beach by an army of modern day 'wreckers.'"

The anchor of the ship is now a memorial on the beach.

The anchor from the MSC Napoli. — The anchor from the MSC Napoli makes for a nice bench

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

The walk to the beach. — The walk to the beach through lovely Devon countryside

Access - Getting There

Branscombe
Seaton EX12 3DP

The nearest railway stations are Honiton (8 miles away) and Axminster which have trains from Exeter St David's Station and Waterloo Station in London.

The Axe Vale Mini-travel bus 899 runs between Sidmouth and Seaton and stops in Branscombe Village. The Seaton Tramway connects Seaton and Colyton via Colyford.

The nearest airport is Exeter International Airport, just 5 miles to the east of Exeter city near Clyst Honiton off the A30.

The airport has regular domestic flights to Aberdeen, Alicante, Belfast, Edinburgh, Guernsey/Jersey, the Isles of Scilly, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.

International destinations include Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Dublin, Faro, Funchal, Geneva, Hannover, Larnaca, Nice, Palma, Paris, Malaga and Salzburg.

Beaching of the MSC Napoli. — Beaching of the MSC Napoli; the anchor was donated by the ship's owners

Accommodation

Exeter, the nearest large city, offers a range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and tastes. Choose from a range of hotels and guest houses in Exeter including the four-star Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel, the four-star Southernhay House Hotel, and Jurys Inn Exeter, also a four-star hotel.

See here for a complete list of accommodation in Exeter.

Lyme Regis also has numerous hotels, B&B's and guest houses available for the tens of thousands who arrive each year. Noted places to stay include the boutique Hotel 1 Lyme, Dorset House on Pound Road, the nearby Mariners Hotel on Silver Street, Westwood Guest House on Woodmead Road, the Fernhill Hotel in Charmouth and a little north of Lyme, The Trinity.

See here for a full listing of hotels, self-catering apartments and guest houses in the Lyme area.

If you wish to stay in Branscombe itself try the Masons Arms - a property dating back to the 14th century - or 2 Smugglers Close - a holiday home.