The best gravel rides around Whimple

at the top of a long climb from Sidmouth, a welcome seat for a well-earned breather at Bulverton Hill with views.

If you’re heading to Beer Beach in East Devon, don’t expect a sandy tropical paradise—and definitely don’t expect actual beer flowing from the cliffs (though the name is a great conversation starter). Instead, you get a quintessential, "old-school" British fishing cove that’s basically a natural suntrap tucked between towering white chalk cliffs. It’s part of the Jurassic Coast, so it’s millions of years of history served with a side of fish and chips. Why it’s a "Vibe": The Boats: This isn't a harbor with a pier; the local fishermen literally winch their colorful boats right up onto the shingle (pebble) beach. It’s like a live-action painting watching them bring in the daily catch of mackerel and crab. The "Pebble Massage": Forget sand in your shoes; here, you get smooth, grey pebbles. Pro-tip: Rent one of the iconic blue and white deckchairs. Your lower back will thank you, and you’ll look like a 1950s movie star. The Beach Cafes: There are little huts right on the shingle where you can grab a crab sandwich or a cream tea. Eating fresh seafood while your toes are three feet from the waves? Hard to beat. The Name: Sadly, "Beer" comes from the Old English word bearu, meaning "grove" or "wood." But don't let that stop you—the village has plenty of actual beer in its cozy pubs like The Anchor Inn, which has a cliff-top garden with elite views. Hidden Gems Nearby: Beer Quarry Caves: Just up the road, you can take a tour of the massive underground caverns where the famous "Beer Stone" was mined for cathedrals like Exeter and Westminster Abbey. It’s like a cool, damp cathedral hidden inside a hill. The Coastal Path: If you walk west toward Branscombe, you’ll tackle some steep "stairway to heaven" climbs, but the views of the white cliffs against the blue sea are pure magic.

Look out for an entrance onto a footpath on your right, which follows beside the railway tracks on your left, and the exe estuary on your right. The path is too narrow for cycling but great for walking and running.

Harnessing the power of moving water to drive a mill wheel is an ancient invention of human ingenuity, whose origins can be traced back to ancient times. Thanks to such a design, a watercourse – natural or artificial – made it possible to simply replace human or animal muscle power with the power of natural elements, for example, to grind grain into corn or press oil from fruit. There are essentially two drive variants for watermills: * Either the flowing water simply hits the blades of the water wheel from below to set it in motion; or * the water is guided above the wheel – usually through a so-called "mill channel" – and falls onto the blades. This design utilizes natural gravity to achieve greater efficiency.

The Bowd looks a decent restaurant - pub to go in. The thatched roofs are common to see in this part of the world. The location seems affluent and tidy

Jurassic Coast - here, as a touring cyclist, you get a nice access with wonderful views, swimming options and good restaurants.

To explore the traces of the patronage of "Saint Winifred" (originally "Gwenfrewi") found here, we must geographically move away from the south coast of England to the north of Wales, and chronologically, travel to the first half of the seventh century. Anyone who would like to follow the life of the popular Welsh saint and martyr (at least virtually) in her homeland can visit the following highlight in the komoot system =>> https://www.komoot.com/de-de/highlight/5617651

this road becomes flooded would avoid when on yellow 🟡 weather warning cause you might need a boat, but otherwise it's very pretty and worth a visit great pubs for food nearby and air BnB places