Exploring the Exe Estuary Trail

Looking for the perfect dog walk near Exeter ?

With the Exe Estuary literally on our doorstep we thought we would make a day of it and enjoy a train journey, ferry ride across the river Exe and walk from Exmouth to Lympstone. All dog friendly and a great way to enjoy this amazing area. Read all about our day out below.

Exe Estuary Trail  

The 26 mile cycle/ walking trail  is almost entirely traffic free and takes you right around the entire Exe estuary from Dawlish to Exmouth.  Passing through some beautiful riverside towns and villages you get the chance to enjoy some spectacular views of the estuary and all it’s wildlife.

 As the Exe Estuary trail is so well served by both bus and train routes it is easy to explore this area in a day and there are so many great walks to choose from. The estuary’s railways are amongst the most scenic in Britain. The Avocet Line runs between Exeter, Topsham and Exmouth and offers lovely views of the estuary. The Riviera Line offers great scenic rail journeys between Exeter, Starcross, Dawlish Warren and Paignton stations and includes the world-famous stretch of line along the sea wall through Dawlish and Teignmouth. Even if you do not do too much walking the train journey alone is so scenic it’s worth doing.

 Trains, Ferry and Walking

 We left the car in Exeter and jumped on the train to Starcross. It’s a quick but very picturesque journey. We then took the ferry across the River Exe from Starcross to Exmouth Marina. Starcross Pier is accessed by steps via the railway station bridge at Starcross Station. It’s a beautiful journey across the water and a chance to see all the estuary wildlife.

 At Exmouth It’s worth making time to wander around the marina and of course make a detour to enjoy Exmouth beach with it’s two miles of sand. Please note there is a dog ban from 1st April to the end of September. You can find all the details here. 

 We made our way to the west side of the train station to pick up the Exe Estuary Trail. The walk begins at the far end of the car park by the station, running to the left of the boatyard. You can enjoy some great views of the lower estuary from here before you join a path that takes you over the railway track to join the road and then cycle track. Directly off the trail here is Lower Halsdon Farm, a small National Trust run farm and café that looked really popular. We didn’t venture in but looks like it could be well worth a visit with a large dog-friendly ‘tea garden’

You can choose to stay on the path with the cyclists or take the path that forks left before crossing the railway again and leads you to an open space between the railway and the estuary. Later the path becomes quite narrow alongside the riverbank but you do get the most wonderful views before you walk through some woodland just before the road. The final section into Lympstone is on the road again, but it was very quiet as we walked along and probably saw more cyclists than cars. It’s worth taking the time to explore this pretty village with its cobbled quay and picture postcard cottages. Grab a drink at The Swan with a good beer garden, The Globe or Susanna’s Tea Room for a cream tea – all dog friendly .

We finished our walk at Lympstone but you can easily walk on a further two miles to Exton or if you are feeling energetic Topsham is four miles from Lympstone. The Avocet train line serves all of these stops with a regular half hourly service back into Exeter.

 Good to know

Starcross Ferry

Starcross Pier is accessed by steps via the railway station bridge at Starcross Station. 

No pre-booking is available. Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome.

The ferry runs hourly every day between April and October.

Depending upon tides, the journey takes 15-20 minutes arriving at Exmouth Marina.

Cost is £5 per adult and £1 for the dog.  Best to check their Facebook page for up to date info.

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Trains

Info on the Avocet Train line here.

Info on the Riveria Train Line here.

You can take two dogs on the train for free.

Exe Estuary Trail Info

Lots of useful information on exploring the Exe Estuary trail on the link below.

  Over to you

 Have you walked any of The Exe Estuary Trail with your dog before? For more dog friendly Devon walks and inspiration, follow us on Instagram!