I found myself in Exmouth for work last week, and as the meeting finished early I thought I’d head down for a stroll along the sea front. And now I think Exmouth is my new favourite place!
Admittedly it was a Wednesday in term time, and it was a lovely sunny day but I think it would be as beautiful any time. It definitely has a chilled, laid back Cornish surfer kind of vibe, with older teens (I assume celebrating the end of their A-levels) sun bathing or sitting in small groups on the beach. One guy was even playing the guitar to a group of 4 other guys and gals which just struck me as such a lovely way to spend an afternoon!
Exmouth has a “trendy” feel, and whilst there is a cafe on the front which my Grandma would feel an affinity with because it doesn’t look like they’ve spruced it up since the early 50’s, lots of the rest of it felt really cared for, contemporary and - well, just “cool”. Even the rowing club had some fantastic art on their garage door (see the gallery).
Places to eat in Exmouth
There were lots of bars and restaurants dotted along the sea front, with my eye particularly drawn to Rise (which is apparently a bakery) and Heydays (“all day dining”). These were both in a part of the seafront called SideShore which felt like a little community of businesses (coffee hut, a big ski shop) which also had a Community Hub shack who encourage the community to join them for events and appreciating the beautiful natural surroundings.
On the topic of events, I saw a banner for the Exmouth Festival on the 10th - 13th July 2025, which includes music, theatre, circus, dance, arts and crafts, literature, and of course food and drink. The forecast says the weather will be glorious so this should be a beautiful fun few days - but do remember your sunscreen.
Exmouth sea front for kids
There’s an arcade set just back from the sea front, and a giant complex called Ocean which includes a soft play, so there are things for kids to do on a rainy day. There was also a dinosaur play park in Queens Drive Space, a green space again just across the road from the beach.
South West Coast Path
I later found out that the part of the sea front I walked along is part of the South West Coast Path - and I'm not surprised, it was so beautiful. The SW Coast Path is a 630 mile National Trail starting in Minehead and finishing in Poole (where I also actually went last week in a completely different outing! It was a busy week!).
Overall I was really impressed with Exmouth and it's certainly somewhere I'll aim to take the kids soon, or just my husband if we actually want to feel relaxed. It's an hour and 20 minutes from North Somerset, so doable in a day - even in a school day if you just went for lunch.
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