Jacobs Ladder

A steep flight of stone steps carved into the red cliffs between Budleigh Salterton and Otterton Point, Jacobs Ladder is one of those Devon coastal features that's been there so long nobody quite remembers who built it or why. The steps themselves are the main event - a proper grunt of a climb that takes you from beach level up to the cliff top, with the reward being decent views across Lyme Bay if you can catch your breath at the top.

It's more of a curiosity than a destination in itself, to be frank. Most people who tackle it are either geologists keen on the red sandstone geology (which is genuinely interesting if you know what you're looking at), or walkers using it as part of the coastal path between Budleigh Salterton and Otterton. The steps are uneven and weathered - wear proper shoes. Allow twenty minutes to climb and recover, less if you're properly fit.

Kids might find the scramble entertaining for five minutes, but there's no visitor facilities, no interpretation boards, and no reason to linger once you've made it up. The real draw is working it into a longer coastal walk. Budleigh Salterton itself is pleasant enough for lunch afterwards, with a proper pebble beach and a few decent tea shops.

If you're staying at Ladram Bay Holiday Park or any of the other parks dotted around here, it's worth including in a day's exploration, but don't expect anything grand. It's the sort of thing you do because you're in the area, not the sort of thing you drive two hours to see.