Exeter to Exmouth

This railway runs via the stations of Topsham, Woodbury Road, and Lympstone. The route here described, however, is by the old coach road, which, by the lover of the picturesque and the still lingering fascinations connected with the old mode of travelling, may have its superior attractions.

Passing through Topsham the road is studded with those charming old-fashioned villages that still linger in all their primitive simplicity along the western coast. From a hill called Beacon Hill, encountered in the progress, the eye is presented with a line of coast extending from Exeter to the southern boundary of Torbay, Berry Head, a distance of about twenty mile’s. This line is broken by several hills that ascend gradually from the opposite side of the river, clad with verdure to the summit, and sheltering the little village of Starcross in a wooded enclosure beneath. Mamhead and Powderham Castle, the seat of the Earl of Devon, heighten the beauty of the prospect, which is additionally embellished by the noble buildings connected with those estates.

Exmouth

This place has, within the last few years, made rapid strides in the march of improvement. The Beacon Hill is covered with buildings, and the Parade is stretching away right and left, with no visible signs, hitherto, of limitation.