Days Out in Devon, Beer Caves

Vivid green ferns grow either side of the track as it descends towards the caves and long fronds creep down over the entrances. They give the place a prehistoric feel, ready to be explored.  Beer Caves on the Jurassic Coast were made by nature over millions of years and have been dug out by men for over 2000 years.  With so much history I was long over due for a revisit to this attraction in East Devon.

Beer Quarry Caves

Maintaining a cool 8 degrees all year round, Beer Caves makes a great option for a rainy day outing as well as a chance to cool off in the summer.  Offering hour long guided tours, this unique attraction makes a great change from some of the more commercial days out.

Beer Quarry Caves entrance
Beer Caves - hand carved arch
Centuries of History

The caves are vast and to be honest if you walked around on your own, would be potentially quite boring.  What brings the caves to life is their fascinating history, told to us by the excellent guide.   They’ve been mined by hand since Roman times, the stone used for the building of English Cathedrals and country houses.

With heaps of history and tales of smugglers and bats, there is plenty to keep you interested as you walk around the huge caverns.  From digging by candlelight to becoming “stone deaf”,  we also learnt that stone had been carved and sent to America.  How odd that it should be the cathedral in St Louis where I happen to have relatives.

My daughter thought that one of the most interesting thing was that plants still grow down in the caves just by the light of the artificial bulbs lighting the route.

Beer Caves East Devon
Beer Caves Clare Hotter Boots in yellow hat
Hard Hats and New Boots

It’s worth dressing appropriately for a visit to Beer Caves. Hard hats (very fetching) are part of the required outfit and warm clothes. It was a tad chilly! Footwear is also important. There are chalky steps down the cave entrance and it was gravelly underfoot so decent shoes are sensible.

Beer Caves in Devon

Useful Details

For Days Out in Devon,  Beer Caves is a great choice.  The caves are open from March to October and you can only visit on one of the hour long guided tours, booking required during 2020.  Link to the website here.  Also look out for special events such as bat tours and even theatre events.

Although relatively flat once inside the caves there are steps to the entrance. The tour does require listening to a guide most of the time so I would say it’s not really suitable for children under the age of 9 or 10. It is possible to take a pushchair round that caves for younger ones if you are happy to carry it down the steps.  It is not wheel chair accessible.

There is a small cafe at the entrance. The caves are signposted from Beer, which is a small fishing village between Seaton and Sidmouth in East Devon.
What 3 Words map link: what3words.com/since.wheat.entry

Beer Village

As well as the caves, Beer is a delightful village with a pebble beach dotted with lobster pots and fishing boats. You can even hire a little self drive boat to cruise the coast.  There are a number of shops and cafes, Pecorama (a tourist attraction) as well as access to the South West Coast Path such as the lovely Beer to Branscombe walk.

 

 

Disclosure: I was kindly sent a pair of Hotter Boots as a gift in return for including a review in a blog post. All words and opinions are my own.

Days Out in east Devon Beer Caves
Days out in Devon Beer Caves

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