A Little Stopover In Beer, Devon
A HIDDEN GEM ON THE JURASSIC COAST
On my way back to London from the Jurassic Coast, I decided to make a little stop at Beer, a small fishing village on the Jurassic Coast. This was a couple of days after my visit to The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, which I'd thoroughly enjoyed. I wasn't quite ready to leave Devon just yet, so spending a few hours somewhere along the coast before heading back to the madness of London seemed like a good idea. And I'm glad I did.
Beer is one of those little English coastal villages that you could easily miss if you didn't know it was there. It's surrounded by beautiful green hills and cliffs, with a small beach tucked away between them. The village itself is incredibly charming, with narrow streets, pretty houses and the sort of atmosphere you'd expect from a traditional English fishing village - including the whiff of seafood :)
The weather was pretty good when I arrived. There were patches of blue sky with clouds moving across, occasionally blocking out the sun. I actually quite like this kind of weather for photography. You get some lovely soft light when the sun disappears behind the clouds, and then everything lights up again when it comes back out.
I made my way down to the beach, which was probably the main reason I wanted to visit Beer in the first place. I'd seen photos of it before and thought it looked beautiful, but I wasn't quite prepared for how nice it actually was.
The beach is surrounded by these magnificent white limestone cliffs, which give the whole place a rather dramatic appearance. Unlike the long sandy beaches you find in places like Spain or Portugal, this one is mostly made up of pebbles and shingle. Not particularly comfortable for walking barefoot, but incredibly beautiful nonetheless.
What really surprised me was how clean everything was. I mean, extremely clean. I've been to quite a few beaches around England and abroad, and this was easily one of the cleanest I'd seen in a while. Just like most of the beaches on the Jurassic Coast. The water was also remarkably clear. You could actually see through it quite easily, which isn't something I automatically associate with English beaches haha.
Beer has a long history as a fishing village, and you can still see evidence of that today. There were fishing boats on the beach, which added a lot of character to the place. I love seeing these old fishing communities where the traditional way of life hasn't completely disappeared under the weight of tourism.
One particularly interesting thing I came across was a display of boats that had been decorated with movie themes. Apparently these had been put together by local people, and they were all lined up on the beach for visitors to admire. I thought that was quite cool.
There was clearly a lot of creativity and effort involved. It's the sort of thing that gives a small village its own personality. You don't need a massive budget or some expensive tourist attraction when the local community can come together and create something interesting themselves. I spent a while looking at the different boats and taking photos.
Another thing that caught my attention was a group of local kids diving into the sea from the cliffs. Now, I'm not sure how high they were jumping from, but it looked high enough to make me nervous just watching them. They seemed completely comfortable doing it though. I suppose when you grow up somewhere like this, with the sea practically on your doorstep, you become very familiar with the water and the coastline. I'm sure they know where all the dangerous bits were.
The water was so clear that I could see why it was tempting. Still, jumping off cliffs into the sea isn't something I'd personally recommend without knowing exactly what you're doing. There can be rocks and other hazards beneath the surface. In fact, I could see said rocks with my own eyes from where I was standing. I guess this was a good thing since the kids could also see them supposedly :) They seemed to be having the time of their lives, so kudos to them.
At some point, the weather decided to change. The clouds became a little heavier and it started raining while I was still on the beach. Thankfully, there were canopies set up where people could sit underneath, so I found myself some shelter and waited for the rain to pass. Very convenient really. It's one of those things I appreciate about places like this. The beach has facilities for visitors, but they don't seem to overwhelm the natural beauty of the place. There were places to sit and shelter without the whole coastline feeling like it had been turned into a commercial amusement park.
The rain didn't ruin anything for me anyway. In fact, I quite enjoyed watching the beach while it was raining. The colours changed, the cliffs looked a little more dramatic and the sea took on a different appearance. Besides, I was dry under my canopy, so I had very little to complain about. The canopy area was also even more conveniently situated next to kiosks where food and drink could be obtained. I seized the opportunity to indulge in an Americano, which came with a complementary biscuit.
After spending some time on the beach, I made my way back up into the village to have a look around. Beer is a very pretty place. The streets are lined with traditional buildings, independent shops and little businesses catering to both locals and visitors. It's not a particularly large village, so you can explore much of it on foot without too much effort.
I wandered around for a while, admiring the buildings and enjoying the atmosphere. There is something about these small coastal communities that I find very appealing. They're a world away from the constant noise and activity of London. Not that I dislike London. Far from it. But it's nice to get away from it occasionally and experience somewhere that moves at a completely different pace.
One thing I particularly liked about Beer was how the village and surrounding landscape seemed to fit together so naturally. The streets lead down towards the beach, the cliffs rise up on either side and the green countryside is never very far away. It's a beautiful combination.
The Jurassic Coast is famous for its geology and fossils, something I'd already experienced during my visit to Lyme Regis. Beer has its own fascinating geological history too, particularly the limestone that has been quarried in the area for centuries and used in the construction of buildings elsewhere in England. It's quite remarkable how much history is packed into this relatively small stretch of coastline.
By the time I was ready to leave, I was feeling rather pleased with my decision to stop there. Beer was never meant to be a major part of my Devon trip. It was just somewhere I thought I'd spend a few hours before continuing my journey back to London. But it turned out to be one of the nicest little places I visited.
PS: 
Peace & Love,
Adé