Things to see & do near Jacketts

Otterton is your quintesential Devon village surrounded by beautiful rolling countryside and delightful Devon lanes. It lies within the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is a picture postcard pretty village with many 17th century cob and thatched cottages and farmhouses. It is only a short walk along the River Otter to the sea and the charming and slightly old-fashioned seaside town of Budleigh Salterton, where you can find some of the best ice cream in Devon. A walk back along the river to Otterton from here may give you a glimpse of some of the varied wildlife of the area, maybe even an Otter if your lucky!

The popular town of Sidmouth with all its varied shops and restaurants is only a short drive away. In Sidmouth you can find everything from Waitrose to a traditional old department store, wonderful gifts shops, modern wine bars, good restaurants and of course a number of cafes for that Devon essential, a cream tea.

During the first week of August Sidmouth is alive with music and dance with the colourful annual Folk festival.

The Cathedral city of Exeter, one of the original jewels of the UK, is only a 30min drive. The beautiful Gothic cathedral and the historic quayside are worth visting.

A little further but easily accessible in a day trip are the wild expanses of Dartmoor and Exmoor. Alternatively the Mediterranean and Tropical domes at the Eden project, the National trust gardens at Killerton and Knightshayes or the closer Bicton Botanical Gardens are all delights for Garden lovers.

For Golfers there is a hidden gem close by with the East Devon Golf Club being rated as the 8th best golf course in England by National Club Golfer Magazine!

For the children the huge sandy beach at Exmouth calls out for sandcastles to be made and when the sun is shinning, lazy days at the beach. If they like adventure then Crealy is a must with pirate-themed fairground rides, log flume, rollercoaster, slides and more. It’s a perfect all-weather attraction for a family, with indoor adventure areas, animals to pet, ponies to ride and shows to watch. At Beer PECORAMA also has enough to keep you busy for hours. It is the home to the famous PECO Model Railway Exhibition and the Beer Heights Light Railway. For all children and animal lovers the donkey sanctuary is a must.

For Birdwatches there are plenty of opportunities to get close to nature. There are viewing hides along the River Otter close to Jacketts and the RSPB and Devon Wildlife Trust manage nature reserves on the estuary, with public trails, viewing platforms and hides allowing visitors to get close to the birds without disturbing them. The Exe Estuary is an internationally important site for winter migrant birds.Bowling Green Marsh, Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve and Seaton Marshes Local Nature Reserve attract considerable wildlife interest, from wildfowl and wading birds in the winter to dragonflies and butterflies in the summer.  Other sites close by are havens for some of Britain’s rarest butterflies.

The first picture is looking North-East from the coast path near Otterton at the sandstone cliffs of Ladram Bay, and on to the delightful town of Sidmouth.  The second is looking South West at the mouth of the Otter with Budleigh Salterton beyond.

In the Otteron area:

  • The nearest, just a few hundred yards away, is Otterton Mill, a working mill where you can see the grain being milled before buying the freshly baked bread or other local delights. The mill has an excellent licenced restaurant for lunch or afternoon tea, as well as a gallery and gift shop where the hidden talent of some of our local artists is unveiled.
  • Otterton also has its own interesting website that includes events happening in the village www.otterton.info/index.htm
  • The Sidmouth Folk Week is a huge draw for music-lovers. You’ll have to book your accommodation in good time as the whole area gets really booked up!
  • The Branscombe Festival hosts world-class musicians over three days in late July. A link to the concerts and more on the series can be found here www.branscombefestival.co.uk/
  • Budleigh Salterton
  • Britain’s Finest lists attractions all over Devon. The donkey sanctuary is the nearest.
  • Devon Explore has a much bigger list.
  • The BBC has a page listing everything from cinemas to junior football matches.
  • If the kids like adventure parks, then Crealy is a must.
  • The Eden Project which is a two-hour drive into Cornwall, and a wonderful day out.
  • With many miles of quiet country lanes and some new sections of car-free cycle path, East Devon is a perfect place to explore by bike. New cycleways are opening across East Devon. One of the newest is a short, two-mile, car-free stretch from Axminster railway station to the village of Kilmington. This is part of the National Cycle Network 2, a long-distance route that will eventually link Kent to Cornwall and is known as the South Coast Cycle route. In East Devon, it links Axminster to Exeter with a stretch of some 30 miles.
  • South West is creating an off-road cycling region for people to enjoy adventurous off-road cycling and to progress their riding with confidence. It provides all the  information you need to help you plan and enjoy great adventures time and again.  Find out more at www.1sw.org.uk. You can use their interactive map to find places to cycle
  •  Bowling Green Marsh, Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve and Seaton Marshes Local Nature Reserve  are all havens for birdwatchers.