Hole Mill sits in a hidden valley about a mile inland from Branscombe Beach, on the South West Coast Path. From our front door you can walk to the sea, to two of the best pubs in Devon, and along some of the finest cliffs on the Jurassic Coast — without ever needing the car.

This guide covers the seven walks we recommend most often to guests, in order of distance. The shortest is a 1 km stroll to the village pub. The longest is a 10 km hike along the cliffs to Beer Head and back. All seven start and end at the door of Hole Mill, which means no parking, no car park fees, and no faff.

Before you set out

A few practical things, learned the hard way:

  • Bring proper boots, especially after rain. The lanes around Branscombe are clay and they hold water. Trainers will be ruined inside ten minutes.
  • Charge your phone. Mobile signal in the valley is patchy. We recommend downloading the Komoot route to your phone before you leave the house — every walk on this list is mapped on our walks page.
  • Watch the tide for any walk that uses Branscombe Beach. At high spring tides the beach narrows considerably, and the section past the chalk cliffs east of the beach café is impassable. There is a tide table on the Hole Mill kitchen noticeboard, and any local pub will tell you the day's high water.
  • Take a swimsuit and a towel. Once you have walked to the beach you will probably want to swim.

1. The Fountain Head — 1 km

The shortest walk from Hole Mill is the one we do most often, usually with a thirst on. Turn left out of the gate, walk uphill past the fields, and you arrive at The Fountain Head in about fifteen minutes. It is a 14th-century cob-and-flint pub with low beams, a flagstone floor, and a small terrace under an apple tree. They brew their own beer in a barn at the back. The food is genuinely good — try the local cheese platter, or the slow-cooked lamb if it is on. They are dog-friendly, and reliably busy on summer evenings.

This is the walk for an unhurried lunch or an early supper. You can be back at Hole Mill in time to light the hot tub before sunset.

2. Branscombe Beach via Edge Common — 2.5 km

Walk down the lane from Hole Mill, cross the stream at the bottom, and follow the bridleway uphill through woodland onto Edge Common. The path opens out onto a high meadow with one of the best views on the East Devon coast — Branscombe village strung out below, the church tower poking through the trees, and the sea filling the horizon.

Drop down through the bracken to Branscombe Mouth, where you will find a National Trust thatched coastguard cottage, a beach café (closes 4 pm out of season), and a long pebble beach with safe, deep swimming. There is a wood-fired beach sauna at the eastern end — book in advance through Jurassic Sauna. The walk back is the same in reverse, around 45 minutes each way at an easy pace.

3. The Mason's Arms — 3 km

The Mason's Arms in Branscombe village is one of the most photographed pubs in Devon, and rightly so — a thatched freehouse on the village street with stripped beams, an open fire, and very good food. From Hole Mill it is a forty-minute walk through the woods and along quiet lanes, descending into the village from the west.

Two practical notes: book a table in advance during summer and on weekends (they get busy), and check whether the route through Higher Mill is open — there is occasionally cattle on the bridleway and the alternative route via the road adds a few hundred metres. Either way it is a beautiful walk.

4. Branscombe Mouth to Branscombe Village — 4 km loop

A circular version of the previous two walks. Start by walking down to Branscombe Mouth as in walk 2, then turn inland up the wooded valley along the path beside the stream. You will pass the National Trust forge (still in occasional use, with a smith working the bellows on open days), the old bakery (now a tea room serving very respectable cream teas), and Manor Mill — a working watermill open to the public on Sundays from May to September.

From the village you walk the lane back up the hill, returning to Hole Mill via the Mason's Arms or directly. Allow two hours with stops.

5. The Branscombe to Beer Coastal Walk — 6 km one way

The most famous walk on the East Devon coast and rightly the most popular. From Branscombe Mouth, the South West Coast Path climbs steeply up onto the cliffs and skirts the dramatic Hooken Landslip — a vast amphitheatre of fallen chalk where the cliff collapsed in 1790, leaving a hidden world of caves, scrub, and twisted trees clinging on at impossible angles. Peregrines and ravens nest on the rock faces.

The path emerges at Beer Head, the most westerly chalk cliff in England, and descends into the village of Beer through wildflower meadows. Beer is a working fishing village — boats are still winched up the shingle beach by tractor — with two excellent pubs (The Anchor and The Barrel of Beer), a chip shop and a brilliant fishmonger directly opposite the beach.

Walk back the way you came (allow three hours each way), or get the bus from Beer to Branscombe and walk the last mile from the village to Hole Mill. The 899 runs roughly hourly in summer.

6. Branscombe to Sidmouth via Weston Mouth — 8 km one way

Heading west along the coast path takes you past Weston Mouth — an isolated, undeveloped pebble beach with no road access — and on into Sidmouth via the Salcombe Hill nature reserve. This is a more strenuous walk than the Beer route, with two big climbs and one steep descent into Weston Mouth. Plan for four hours.

Sidmouth is a Regency seaside town with elegant white-fronted hotels, the Connaught Gardens above Jacob's Ladder beach, and an excellent independent bookshop on the high street. Get the X53 bus back to Branscombe (services every two hours, check times before setting out) and walk the last mile from the village.

7. Beer Head and the Hooken Cliffs Loop — 10 km

The full coastal loop and the most rewarding walk on the list, but only if you are reasonably fit. Walk to Branscombe Mouth, east along the coast path to Beer, lunch at The Anchor, then take the inland route back via Bovey House — a 16th-century manor — and the lanes through Branscombe village. Expect five hours with a long lunch.

Late spring and early autumn are the best times to do this walk. Carpets of bluebells in May; sea pinks (thrift) on the cliffs in June; orchids in the meadows above Hooken in early summer. By the time you get back to Hole Mill you will have earned the hot tub.

Every walk on this list is mapped on Komoot — load the GPX file onto your phone before you leave the house and the route will follow you in real time. Visit our walks page for the full set, including a printable summary you can leave in the car.