Hiking the East Devon Way from start to finish over a few days in December 2022 I completed my longest distance in one day, coming in at 43.5km. The other days were easier!
About The East Devon Way
The East Devon Way is a 40 mile hike between Exmouth in Devon and Lyme Regis in Dorset. It starts and ends at the sea but the rest of the trail follows an inland path through the East Devon Area Of Outstanding Beauty. It passes through a few villages but the majority of the route is in the hills, fields and heath lands with stunning views.
The route is split into 6 handy sections however these are more for reference and you can tackle it as you please. A very fit person could do this in one day however it’s likely that you’d be more comfortable in 2 – 4 days.
Full detail on the route can be found at the official website https://www.eastdevonway.org.uk/
Day 1 – Exmouth to Aylesbeare Common (17km)
I started the East Devon Way in Exmouth by the sea on a December afternoon hoping to get a good few hours of the route done on my first day. The trail followed beside the sea and train line for a few kilometers before turning up hill through some housing areas and onto Woodbury Common. This large heathland with wide ranging views was where I spent the next couple of hours as I headed across to Aylesbeare Common car park and the end of my first days walking.
Day 2 – Aylesbeare Common to Uplyme (43.5km)
I had a cold and early start to day 2 on the East Devon way as I set off in the dark just before 7am. The air was cold but with no wind or rain and good hiking gear I walked on until the sun rose and down broke. Under the beautiful skies I carried on up and down the heathlands and hills stopping often to admire the views that stretched for miles across the Devon countryside.
The route dropped down into Sidbury before then climbing up steeply on the other side back to a similar elevation. This was a real test and left me quite breathless at the top.
Carrying on the path wound it’s way through forests and hills before dropping down later on to follow a river through farmland and flat fields. Whilst there wasn’t a huge amount of ‘wild’ life there were plenty of friendly cows and horses along the way.
Eventually the light began to go and after around 43.5km walked on day 2 I found myself tired and hiking in the dark at Uplyme. With only 2km to go to get to Lyme Regis I made the strange decision to stop and complete the walk the next day. I wanted to enjoy walking into the end point and see the town in the light the next day.
Day 3 – Uplyme to Lyme Regis (2km)
I final day was really just a hop, skip and jump to the finish line following the river from Uplyme to Lyme Regis.
Walking through Lyme Regis in the sun was lovely, passing it’s quirky shops and nice pubs, restaurants and cafes. Following the last of the East Devon Way signs I made my way down to the sea front and the end of the hike.
Final thoughts on the East Devon Way
The East Devon Way is a great and somewhat unknown hike through beautiful landscape and rewarding with great views. It’s very well sign posted and easy to follow making it an accessible route for all with only a couple of sections of quite steep uphill climbs.
If you’re in East Devon I’d recommend giving it a go!
Video of hiking the East Devon Way
