AXMOUTH & BEYOND

Wonderful wetlands, Jurassic fossil hunting and seductive Sidmouth get Susan Taylor’s approval on a tour of East Devon

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Over many years of touring and camping in the UK, we have often made use of local buses to get around rather than driving, but I can’t remember ever having travelled on an electric tram, before our trip to the glorious Axe estuary in East Devon.

The journey was inevitably a little slower, but much of the joy of any tour is gaining new experiences and seeing parts of the UK we wouldn’t otherwise manage to get to.

That is certainly true of a journey on the dog-friendly Seaton Tramway. Colourful narrow-gauge electric trams run three miles through the Axe Valley from Seaton to Colyton, taking about 25 minutes each way.

The route passes through Colyford village and the Seaton Wetlands, allowing us to enjoy spotting some of the local wildlife from our very own moving ‘hide’. There are a couple of stops where passengers can disembark and take advantage of real hides or have a wander around the marshes and reedbeds, but do remember that dogs are not allowed in the wetlands.

Before reaching the furthest stop on the route, the ancient town of Colyton, the driver regaled us with tales of the history of the Tramway.

Apparently, the trams were built at a factory that was more used to producing milk floats, and operated for years in North Wales before arriving in Seaton in 1970. He also mentioned wildlife to watch out for during the journey.

There are a few passing points, too, where trams going in the opposite direction meet and the passengers wave and shout hello – very civilised and entertaining!

Lunch in Colyton