Seaton - The Bad

Seaton could be considered the "Poor Relation" for all the coastal towns in this part of the world. 

Indeed it is often joked that when the tourist coaches drop passengers off for a walk around the drivers say "meet back here in 20 minutes".

There is only one real "attraction" in the town and that actually takes you out of it, and perhaps with good reason! The tramway is the only real draw now, and that takes you to Colyford and Colyton.

Seaton was a thriving resort, but the closure of the railway and cheap holidays abroad affected the town badly, and the final nail in the coffin as a resort came when the Haven Holiday Camp closed. This is now where you will find the very large Tesco Supermarket.

Seaton is now a place for a gentle stroll and not a lot more. 

That said the promenade is over 1,000 yards long and the view out to sea flanked by cliffs takes some beating, but just don't look in towards the town for the flats near the town centre look grim. Very grim. Some redevelopment is planned, but nothing ever seems to happen.

Go one street back from the sea front to Harbour Road and you are treated to a very strange juxtaposition of architecture. For sure some of the older buildings are very nice but the newer stuff built since the 1950's ish looks cheap and dreadful.

The town centre, such as it is, is a mix of charity shops, hairdressers and one or two more interesting places including a gift shop or two and the odd place to eat and drink but not much else. Shops seem to come and go on an all too regular basis. Go in to the centre on most days and there are not many folk around.

There any many things you would actually struggle to buy in Seaton if you are a local and a journey out of town somewhere (Honiton probably) is required.

Seaton is served by three bus routes, the town "Hopper" (Shopper) service which runs hourly most days until 14.30 and then one later service after 5 pm, the 885 again hourly takes you from the town to Axminster (and its station) and the 20 which runs every three hours to Honiton and beyond to Taunton (apart from the later 5 p.m. service which fails to get there). There are no buses at all on a Sunday and the days of the "Jurassic Coaster" service (52) going to Seaton are long gone. Even the principal "Tourist Bus" seems to have given up on Seaton.

And so Seaton sits beside the sea unloved by the visiting masses that give it a wide berth it seems.