Sidmouth

Sidmouth is a seaside resort town in East Devon. Host to an international folk festival for one week every year, for the other 51 weeks, Sidmouth is a very pleasant but small beach-side town. The town has a long stony beach and a vibrant and surprisingly diverse town centre, with a large number of quality independent shops, cafés and restaurants.

Understand

 * Visit Sidmouth website

By car
Sidmouth is bypassed by the A3052 road, which follows the coast between the A35 near Lyme Regis and junction 30 of the M5 at Exeter.

By bus
Sidmouth is well-connected by Stagecoach bus services from Exeter (service number 9/9A) and Exmouth (service 157). Most buses arrive at "The Triangle" 200 m from the sea front.

Sidmouth is also served by AVMT Buses' service 899, which runs from Seaton to Sidmouth via Beer, Pecorama, Beer Quarry Caves, Branscombe and the Donkey Sanctuary. It is one of Devon's most scenic bus routes.

Get around
It's easy to walk around this compact town. Driving and parking are easy enough off-season, but in summer months can be a lot more challenging. There is a 'park and walk' service from the council offices on station road, which involves a 15-minute walk into town

Do

 * Swimming in the sea is popular during summer heatwaves.

Eat
Despite its size, Sidmouth is something of a foodie town, with several delicatessens and at least one of each kind of artisan food store: bakeries, butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers.

The town's restaurants are of generally good quality, and most inevitably have a fishy theme to their menus.

Late afternoon is a good time to grab a "cream tea". Several cafes offer this including The Clock House (at Connaught Gardens), The Chattery and Libra Court.

Sleep
There are a variety of large hotels lining the sea front as well as smaller B&B further into the town.

Connect
As of Sep 2023, Sidmouth and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone, but a poor signal from Three. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Branscombe
 * Budleigh Salterton