After parking up in the village of Starcross we seek footpath signs. The railway here runs parallel to the seafront and literally right beside it – Brunel certainly wanted to leave his mark! On the other side of the track the sea is right in so we follow the acorn signs through the village and on to the footpath by the road alongside the track.

A field to our right is currently home to a large flock of dark bellied Brent geese, a sign explains how they are overwinter residents, returning to Russia every spring to breed. The road bends round Cockwood Harbour, which today is millpond still and glistening in the sunshine. The Anchor pub looks very inviting but it’s ten in the morning and we’ve only just had breakfast.

The coast path continues along the road for a short distance until we reach Dawlish Warren which is dominated, both sides of the road, by a holiday park. We take the route under the railway to the spit of Dawlish Warren – I have to admit I was expecting a remote nature reserve not fun fair rides, outdoorsy shops and a modern pub with a kids ball pit!

We stop for a drink overlooking the sea and the estuary towards Exmouth with the red cliffs of Sandy Bay in the distance. There are some converted railway carriages on the beach – the aptly named Brunel Carriages looks like the perfect holiday home to soak up the atmosphere. The path now runs on the seaward side of the railway track all the way into Dawlish passing Langstone Rock – a red rocky outcrop with a cute little cafe nestled within.

It’s amazing how many trains run along this track – taking us by surprise every time. A plaque on the sea wall tells of the Great Storm of 2014 which destroyed this stretch of railway line. A team of 300 railway workers toiled round the clock to rebuild the track and sea defences. Dawlish seafront is lined with lovely colourful terraced houses the other side of the track. The tide has now gone out so we wander along the beach right into town – an attractive looking place with an array of cafes and a succession of terraced gardens with crazy golf and a stream running through. A black swan appears to be confused by the unseasonably warm December temperatures and appears to be nesting on a tiny island right in the centre of town.

The coast path leads to a small beach; we’ve been lured by the Cove Beach Cafe which has sadly missed a treat on this lovely sunny day, busy with families seeking the sunshine between Christmas and New Year, but is sadly closed. We take the steep pathway up to a tiny park and along the road for a short while before descending between a perfect sledging field, sloping towards the sea and a delightful garden with many young pine trees. It appears the owner has made the most of the sunshine (or escaping his wife!) and is enjoying his lunch sitting on his ride-on mower at the far end of the field overlooking the sea.

Heading on we are reduced to single file through a small woodland, briefly back to the road again, before straight back to the sea and under the railway to Holcombe Beach. Just out to sea we can see the small red stack called Shag Rock – named after the black long necked sea bird.

The beach takes us straight into Teignmouth and a very well-deserved ice cream from the bustling beach side cafe – cannot believe kids and dogs are running in and out of the sea in December. The cafe owner tells us about Network Rails plan to realign the railway here which would completely lose this beach – how tragic. I hope they find a way around this predicament.

Wander along the promenade in the late afternoon sunshine to the mouth of the river Teign admiring the little village of Shaldon on the other side, we check out the ferry crossing times for tomorrow.