East Devon is the name given by Wikivoyage to that part of Devon that lies to the east of the River Exe. The region is bounded to the south by Lyme Bay, part of the English Channel, to the east by Dorset, to the north-east by Somerset and to the west by Exeter and North Devon.
Cities, towns and villages
editUnderstand
editThe Wikivoyage East Devon Region encompasses Devon, east of the River Exe. The area is undulating agricultural land with scattered villages interspersed with market towns. Many of the industries are related to agricultural products with niche industries have springing up in some of the towns such as lacemaking in Honiton and carpet weaving in Axminster. Improved communications since the mid-20th century have contributed to the holiday industry on the South Coast. In addition, the western end of the Jurassic Coast lies within this area.
Get in
editBy train
editSee #Get around
By plane
edit1 Exeter Airport (EXT IATA) has regular scheduled direct flights from Aberdeen, Alicante, Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Málaga, and Newcastle. A greater variety of international flights operates in summer, but these are mostly aimed at jetting locals to the Med.
Get around
editBy bus
editThe region has an extensive bus network which is aimed at local travel, so can be slow. Many services are subsidised by the local authorities and are therefore subject to the whims of local politicians who are trying serve their voters as well as balance the books. Up to date information can be found from the Devon County Council website.
By train
editThis region has three main railway lines: the Great Western Mainline that links Penzance to both London Paddington and Birmingham via Taunton. It has one stop within the region at Tavistock Parkway. The second line is the South Western Rail mainline between Exeter and London Waterloo which effectively provides an hourly local service for all stations between Axminster and Exeter. A further local service is the Exmouth to Exeter line which provided four trains an hour, two of which continue on to Paignton, one to Okehampton and one to Barnstaple.
See
editDo
editEat
editThe larger towns is the region often have a hotel and/or restaurtant alongside fish-and-chip shops or Indian or Chinese take-away oputlets. Virtually every community has a pub where meals can be bought at reasonable prices.
Drink
editStay safe
editEven though the crime rate in Devon is low, visitors should still take the normal precautions to remove temptations for petty pilfering. Visitors should also be aware that drunken behaviour increases during the holiday months.
Check the safety of beaches before entering the water. Many beaches have life guards on duty during the holiday season. It is also advisable to make local checks as to any pollution that might have been discharged into the sea.
Go next
editOne can visit Exeter or North Devon to the west of the region, the English Riviera and South Devon to the south-west of the region (via Exeter), Dorset to the east or Somerset to the north-west.