It’s a glorious day in Dawlish Warren. The sun is hanging low in a cloudless sky, casting long shadows over the empty amusement park. Shutters are down, gates are locked, the temperature is close to freezing, the shops are shut and, best of all, there are no tourists.
This is what a holiday town looks like when the holidaymakers have all gone home. You might think winter at the seaside has nothing to offer, but look around. There is nothing bleak about mid-winter in Dawlish Warren on a day like this.
There are pockets of life on the beaches and walkways. In January each year, The Warren is reclaimed by local people, as if emerging from summer season hibernation.
“Without the holidaymakers and the money they spent in the shops and restaurants the place wouldn’t be the same,” a visitor to the beach says, summing up the general view. “I like the sound of people being happy and we should be welcoming.
“But in the summer I just try to avoid the horde so I don’t visit the beach. It can get so busy that I have to leave. Life is completely different in winter.”
Dawlish Warren in winter
(Image: DevonLive)
Winter in The Warren is a scene of woolly hats and walking boots, flasks with tea, packed lunches, towels and Dryrobes. The few people who are here have the sandy beaches to themselves.
Some enjoy the walk here from neighbouring towns, like Starcross, Teignmouth and Dawlish – many along the scenic coast path. Nobody likes to pay for parking and they tend to know the best free spaces.
Then there’s the dogs, leashed and unleashed, joggers, cyclists, anglers, the odd surfer and those heading to Gerald’s [the general store] for bread and milk or Ryder’s Bakery for coffee and breakfast baps – virtually the only places open.
Brendan Colfer is here for the fish. He and his daughters, Alisha and Caitlin, are from Bournemouth and are staying in nearby Teignmouth for a few days.
Dawlish Warren
(Image: DevonLive)
“We’re hoping to catch some big bass over there,” he says. He points to a spot on the rocks where they intend to setup their rods and lines.
“We haven’t been to Dawlish Warren before and thought we’d try somewhere different,” says Alisha. “We want to try more places in Devon,” adds Caitlin, “it’s very beautiful.”
They love the scenery here. Previous trips have taken them to other beauty spots like Chesil Beach in Dorset. The weather is so good today they might just be able to see another Dorset landmark, Portland Bill, on the far horizon.
A group of swimmers have just emerged from the sea, all eyes glinting and cheerful expressions. What they call exhilarated. They arrived at 9:45am and have spent a couple of hours in the water.
Louise Andrews, Jen Harris and Simon Tozer at Dawlish Warren beach
(Image: DevonLive)
Simon Tozer is off to Dartmoor next. He’s an author of guide books so knows a thing or two about where the best places to visit are. Like his co-swimmers, he steers clear of Dawlish Warren during the summer.
“Just look around,” he says, sweeping his arms to indicate the beautiful scenery around us. “There are virtually no people here today. If it was a busy day in the summer, we’d struggle to find any space to swim.”
“It really makes your day to swim in the sea,” says Louise Andrews. It’s all to do with the feeling of being alive. The bright expressions disappear with mention of car parking.
“The businesses lose out because people resent paying the high charges,” she says. “They would get more trade and support if car parking allowed it. I would rather walk from Starcross than drive down and pay.”
Dawlish Warren is one the South West biggest holiday resorts. The beach is a mile or so long and sits on a spit of land that stretches out into the Exe estuary. Much of the land has protected nature reserve status or is covered by grassland, sand dunes and Dawlish Golf Club.
The perennial fear is that one day it will be washed away. Segments of beach are separated by groynes, long wooden fences that protect it from erosion. If the land here were ever to be breached by the sea it would cause major flooding for miles around.
Lisa Wilkie and friend Claire Portch, have also been for a swim. “Actually, I’m more of a bobber,” admits Lisa, “I like to feel my feet touching the ground.” Claire, who works at the hospital, explains the health benefits of a dip in the cold water. For extra health the pair normally warm down in one of the beach huts which are stationed in a line overlooking the beach, glass of wine in hand.
Lisa Wilkie and Claire Portch at Dawlish Warren beach
(Image: DevonLive)
Set slightly back from the beach is the Boathouse Bar and Grill. A sign on the door says it is closed until January 18. A sweet aroma wafts from a nearby donut bar but the shutters are down at all the surrounding kiosks.
Peter and Amanda Lock have crashed on some empty benches outside The Boathouse. They are not sure if they are allowed to sit here but figure they can be moved along if staff appear [they won’t]. They parked in Dawlish and walked their Jack Russell, Milo, along the coast path. “He’s 15 now so we can’t walk him too far these days,” says Amanda.
Peter and Amanda Lock visiting Dawlish Warren
(Image: DevonLive)
“We avoid it in the summer but it’s a really nice walk at this time of year.”
The rides in the amusement park are motionless. This is the heart of the resort during the summer, rammed with thousands of visitors every day. January is a time for Dawlish Warren to take its annual breather.
At the huge holiday camps it’s a time to re-group, fix any damage, clean, maintain and plan for the visitor season. The holiday engine will be purring again by Easter but the first pick-up in visitor numbers will be at the next half-term.
Until then, most of the people living in the caravans are owners. “They come down from all parts of the country to spend some time here out of season,” says Fay Wood. She departed from her native Yorkshire five years ago, spending £60,000 on a caravan.
Fay Wood visiting Ryders Bakery in Dawlish Warren
(Image: DevonLive)
It sounded like a perfect scenario and for a while it was. But she says “extortionate” increases in ground rent, business rates, and energy bills means she has had to sell up.
“My experience of Devon is that people are more friendly and they want to talk to you. Not only your neighbours but everyone.”
She is sipping coffee in Ryder’s Bakery. If The Warren has a hospitality hub then this is it. It recently won a national award for being the best bakery in the South West. Unlike almost every other business here, it stays open practically all year-round.
It was established by a local couple, Keith and Diana, in 1972 and is still family-owned. Sacha Willoughby, is the friendly face behind the counter.
(Image: DevonLive)
“In the summer it is a very different clientele and is very busy,” she says. “There are people queuing out of the door. Some walk over in their dressing gowns from the holidays parks early in the morning.
“They pick up their breakfast baps and pastries. Last year we sold 35,000 sausage rolls. I think it is because we are family-run. Many people tell us they come here because we aren’t one of the bakery chains and we provide what they want.
“At this time of year it is very calm and we can interact more with people. We just had the last of our holidaymakers on Friday. Now it’s mostly the owners who have been coming down for generations. At the moment they are doing all the maintenance and cleaning at the holiday parks.”
She says not much has changed in Dawlish Warren over the years and that might explain why it is still popular. For a holiday resort everything revolves around the season. Winter is a vital part of that annual cycle, the period of regeneration.
For now it’s time to take a walk, breathe deeply and enjoy the calm, and maybe a sausage roll, before it all starts again.