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The East Devon Undercliff is a little like the land that time forgot.

This stretch of coastline slipped towards the sea around 170 years ago and is now a mini micro-climate all of its own.

It's the favourite walk of Radio Devon listener Gill Bullock.

In her description of the walk Gill wrote: "A couple of years ago I did an overseas trek in Peru for Cancer Research UK and would often go to the Undercliff to get fit.

"Although not quite enough altitude, it offers fantastic views and flora and fauna. It is said you should walk it four times each year, covering every season."

Only another 6.5 miles to go!

A characteristic feature is the steeply undulating and winding path, which made it the perfect training ground as Gill prepared to trek the Inca Trail.

The Undercliff stretches 7.5 miles between Seaton and Lyme Regis and is part of the South West Coast Path, within the section designated as the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

The route is entirely off-road and has almost no links away from the path once you set out.

Gill prefers to walk from west to east "because of the stunning views of the Cobb at Lyme Regis towards the end."

I set out from Axmouth with Gill and James Chubb, wildlife education officer with East Devon District Council, on a fine winter's morning. The first section is steeply uphill as you climb up through the golf course.

You shortly reach the cliffs and a good opportunity to catch your breath as a fantastic vista of the coastline opens up before you.

As Gill and I admired the view, James explained: "This is a real geological melting pot around Seaton. It's the one place on the whole of the Jurassic Coast that you can actually see all three of the time eras that the Unesco designation covers.

The view to Beer

"You've got the beautiful white cliffs that are the Jurassic chalks, and you can see boulders of the red Triassic sandstone that are more typical of the eastern end near to Exmouth and Sidmouth.

"And also you've got Cretaceous limestones and shales which are greyer in colour. So you've got all three time periods blending here in one spot, plus there are some beautiful views."

James was a mine of information, identifying plants and keeping a count of different birds we spotted. By the time we reached Lyme Regis they amounted to 41 in all, from the common house sparrow to the purple sandpiper.

He also discovered the hunting ground of a female sparrow-hawk and the remains of a recent kill.

The route is easy to find, winding its way through the canopy of trees, but the path underfoot is trickier with roots to step over and quite steep in places.

The ruins of a house, wrecked in the 1839 landslip

There are some views of the sea, but mostly you're in a tangled mass of green vegetation, like a lost world. One of the major landslips was on Christmas Eve 1839 – among the remnants of the past being the ruin of a house.

As we passed by, Gill recalled what happened according to locals.

"The story goes that the man who lived there, on the Christmas Eve the landslip happened, was coming back from having a drink and was the worse for wear. He thought he was drunk and seeing things, but the house was actually moving."

There are several information boards along the route explaining the history of the Undercliff, its flora, fauna and archaeology to help you enjoy this unique landscape.

The walk takes longer than you may expect, so allow plenty of time, particularly if catching a bus the other end as we were. Gill recommends catching the bus first and walking back to avoid any concern.

We allowed four and a half hours and made it to Lyme Regis in time for a short stroll along the Cobb, and a welcome refreshing cup of tea. The X53 bus journey back to Seaton gave us the chance to sit back and reflect on a most enjoyable and informative day.