Seaton Circular Walks in Devon

Seaton Circular Walk

Seaton in East Devon is a popular seaside town with a lovely long pebble beach, a very accessible esplanade and picturesque beach huts. It’s long seafront is part of the South West Coast Path that comes from Beer in the West and heads along the unique Undercliff to Lyme Regis.

There are a few walking options in and around Seaton. A local favourite is the peaceful and accessible Seaton Wetlands Nature Reserve which you can walk to from the town center or access via the Seaton Tram.  There are also circular routes of 3 or 4 miles if you walk up over the coast path via the golf course and back down inland into Axmouth and along the river estuary.

The route described here is a longer walk of 5½ miles and takes you inland through the Holyford Woods nature reserve, looping up and back towards Beer and via Seaton Hole. It is a perfect mixture of footpaths and country lanes.

Seaton Circular Walk via Holyford Woods and Seaton Hole

Below here are fairly detailed instructions for this circular walk in Seaton. It goes in an anti-clockwise direction. A map is included below and if you have OS maps subscription then I have saved the route on there that you can follow.

Start point, free parking: Seaton Down Picnic Site, Seaton Down Road, EX12 2TF

Note this walk is not suitable for pushchairs and there are 2 places where you have to cross the main road.

1. Seaton Down to Holyford Woods

Stay on the car-park side of the road and walk towards the garage. Cross the main road, look left and through the gate into a field. Follow the path down the field and in to Holyford Woods Nature Reserve.

Head through these pretty woods, following the path down. Keep right after the pond and cross the bridge, the path is then going towards the other exit at Holyford Coppice.

Follow the footpath out of the woods for a few hundred meters until it switches sharply back to the left up the hill round the top of the woods.

2. Holyford Woods to Gatcombe

Heading up along the north edge of the woods and then through fields,  After approximately 1km the footpath joins a country lane. Head left on this lane.

After 700 meters cross the main road A3052 and take the dead end road towards Gatcombe Farm along Gatcombe Lane. Before the farm follow the stoney track up hill (see picture).

3. Stovar Long Lane to Seaton Hole

The track from Gatcombe comes out onto a small road (B3174),  go left and then by the large entrance sign to Beer turn left again to go down Stovar Long Lane passing the football club.

Stovar Long Lane comes out onto Beer Road, go right and in less than 100 meters cross the road onto Beer Lane that bears to the left, keep left following the sign the Seaton Hole heading downhill.

4. Seaton Hole

This is a great place for a rest to enjoy the view. On certain days the lovely Jurassic Bites café is open.

Take the road out of Seaton Hole, then once at the main road look left to see a lane opposite (Bunts Lane)  and cross onto this.

After about 100 meters as the road bends there is a footpath in front of you through a wooden gate. Follow this footpath through the woods, quite steeply up the hill. After 500 meters you will start to see across the valley with some lovely views of the River Axe Estuary.

5. Back to the Start

Keep following the footpath back up the hill to find your way back to the car park.

This really is a lovely walk with variety and sea views.

Please do check out my other walks including the local coast path and Dartmoor.

Finally thank you to Mel from Lyme Bay Nordic Walking who led me on this route as part of her weekly recce walks.