Dawlish Warren

This article is about the village. For the nearby nature reserve, see Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve. For the railway station, see Dawlish Warren railway station.

Dawlish Warren
Dawlish Warren is located in Devon
Dawlish Warren
Dawlish Warren
Location within Devon
OS grid referenceSX979786
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDAWLISH
Postcode districtEX7
Dialling code01626
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Devon
50°35′53″N 3°26′38″W / 50.598°N 3.444°W / 50.598; -3.444

Dawlish Warren is a seaside resort near to the town of Dawlish, in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon, England. Dawlish Warren consists almost entirely of holiday accommodation and facilities for holidaymakers, especially on caravan sites.

Location

Dawlish Warren is located at the mouth of the Exe Estuary opposite Exmouth and has a beach, a National Nature Reserve[1] spanning 506 acres (2 km2) and a golf course, which is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[2]

A freshwater pond at the Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve

The renowned sand spit at Dawlish Warren is the location of both the golf course and the nature reserve which was declared a National Nature Reserve in 2000. This spit has reduced in size within the past century due to erosion partly caused by the installation of a breakwater at Langstone Rock to the south-west which traps sand from the local sandstone cliffs and interrupts the natural sediment flow of the area.[3]

The resort is popular with holidaymakers and although a death occurred from E. coli poisoning in 1999,[4] allegedly caused by a nearby sewage outflow,[5] a new sewage treatment plant has since been built resulting in both Dawlish Warren and Dawlish beaches now winning the Blue Flag for the quality of the bathing waters.

Tourism

Along with neighbouring Dawlish, this corner of south Devon has a favourable climate[6][circular reference], which draws thousands of visitors to the area in summer. Because of this, the Dawlish Warren economy relies heavily on tourism, and in particular on the many caravan and camping parks in the village which add over 15,000 to the local population during the summer months. There are several holiday parks which attract visitors from all over the UK, but in particular the West Midlands and South Wales. The major holiday parks are Welcome, Hazelwood, Cofton, Golden Sands, Dawlish Sands, Peppermint Park, Lady's Mile and Oakcliff. In 2008 Peppermint Park and Golden Sands joined Dawlish Sands as part of Park Holidays UK Caravan Parks. The name 'Peppermint Park' has gone and the site has been rebranded 'Golden Sands'.

Amenities

Dawlish Warren has a doctor's surgery, a pharmacy and an independent supermarket, along with several gift shops which cater for tourist traffic.

There are a number of restaurants and takeaway eateries. There are many bars and pubs such as the Warren Bridge Inn and the Mount Pleasant Inn, which dates from before the 1750s and is located just outside the resort.[7]

Transport

A train bound for Paignton stopping at the station

The resort is served by Dawlish Warren railway station, situated a few minutes from the beach. It lies between the stations of Dawlish and Starcross on the Riviera Line, a section of the Great Western Main Line between London Paddington and Penzance in Cornwall. Stopping services are operated by Great Western Railway, on a route between Exmouth, Exeter and Paignton.[8]

Dawlish can be reached by a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) walk south-west along the South Devon Railway sea wall.

Local bus services are operated predominantly by Stagecoach South West; key routes that serve the town include:[9]

Religion

St Mary's Church Hall

Although Dawlish Warren is within the civil parish of Dawlish, it lies in the ecclesiastical parish of Cofton. There is no actual church in Dawlish Warren, but St Mary's Church Hall (St Mary's Church is in Cofton) is located near the resort's railway station. It is used for services and community activities.[10]

References

  1. ^ Teignbridge District Council page describing the NNR Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  2. ^ Robert Stephen Taylor (Editor) A Practical Guide to Ecological Management of the Golf Course (1995), p. 13, at Google Books
  3. ^ West, Ian. "Dawlish Bay, Dawlish Warren and Langstone Rock, Devon - Geology of the Wessex Coast, Field Guide". Southampton University. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  4. ^ E. coli victim died on holiday: BBC News, 17 August 1999. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  5. ^ Sewage claim over E. coli death: BBC News, 27 August 1999. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  6. ^ Dawlish#Climate
  7. ^ "Local Shops & Services - Dawlish Warren". Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Train Times". Great Western Railway. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Stops in Dawlish Warren". Bus Times. 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Church Hall - Dawlish Warren". Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
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