Sidmouth

a guest’s quick guide

Claremont is ten minutes’ walk from the sea, in the heart of a Regency town on the Jurassic Coast. This is our short guide to what to see, where to go and where to find out more.

Sidmouth appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as “Sedemuda”. It grew from a fishing village into a fashionable seaside resort, and the Regency villas and promenade you see today date from those years. Queen Victoria came here as a baby: in the winter of 1819–20 her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, took Woolbrook Cottage, and the Duke died there on 23 January 1820. The house still stands, now the Royal Glen Hotel, and a plaque records the royal connection.

On the seafront

The Esplanade and town beach – sand and shingle, with rock pools at low tide.
Connaught Gardens – sheltered gardens above the western beach, with views along the coast.
Jacob’s Ladder – the wooden staircase from Connaught Gardens down to the beach.
The Jurassic Coast – Sidmouth’s red cliffs are part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

Things to see

Sidmouth Museum – Hope Cottage, Church Street. Open March to October.
The Donkey Sanctuary – just outside town. Free entry, open every day, 9am to 5pm.
Manor Pavilion Theatre – plays and shows in the centre of town.

Walks

South West Coast Path – head west to the red sea stacks of Ladram Bay, or east over Salcombe Hill.
Further afield – Sidmouth is a good base for Beer, Branscombe and Budleigh Salterton.

Festivals in 2027

Sidmouth Jazz & Blues Festival – 27 to 31 May 2027.
Sidmouth Folk Festival – 30 July to 6 August 2027.
Claremont’s bicentenary – the house celebrates 200 years in 2027.

Useful information

Tourist Information Centre – Ham Lane, EX10 8XR. Tel: 01395 516441.
Visit Sidmouth – what’s on, places to eat and things to do.
Sidmouth Town Council – local events and the town directory.