Cliff Field Gardens

The coastal path drops you straight into Cliff Field Gardens near Seaton, and it's immediately clear this is nothing like a formal garden. What you're looking at is a proper nature reserve where the cliffs do the heavy lifting - dramatic red sandstone faces rising above a tangle of wildflowers, scrub, and the kind of unmanicured beauty that makes manicured gardens look a bit silly.

You can wander the pathways without any fuss - it's free and unmanned, the sort of place where you turn up when it suits you. Depending on the season, you'll see different things: spring brings a riot of coastal wildflowers, summer's thick with butterflies and bees, and autumn strips the light across everything in that golden way only Devon does. The views out to sea are cracking, and on a clear day you can see right along the coast. This isn't a three-hour attraction - more like 45 minutes to an hour, depending how slowly you move and how many photo stops you make.

It works brilliantly as part of a wider Seaton exploration, especially if you're based at Beer Head Holiday Park up the road. Families with younger kids might find it bit sparse on 'things to do', but anyone who actually enjoys walking, wildlife spotting, or simply standing on a cliff looking at the sea will get real value from it. The terrain's fairly accessible too - no scrambling required, though it's windy as anything in bad weather.