Welcome to North Devon

To many people North Devon means surfing - and that takes them to the lovely coastline where the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic. The Taw flows another way from the estuary and will bring you to the major town of North Devon - Barnstaple.

Apart from all the usual major stores - both in the High Street and on 'out-of-town' shopping parks - the town of Barnstaple has much of interest for the visitor. Probably best known for its Pannier market there is a thriving cattle market on Fridays and both mind and body are catered for by the Museum and the Leisure Centre.

Head northwest from Barnstaple and you will come to Braunton - a pleasant village in its own right but also the parting of the ways for the dedicated surfer and the sun worshipper. Turn left for Croyde and some of the best surfing in the country. Straight on for the seaside towns of Woolacombe and Ilfracombe. Don’t miss the new Landmark Theatre at Ilfracombe - both the actual building and the performances will give you something to talk about when you return home.

If your choice lies more in the direction of walking on the moors or along magnificent coastal paths, then drive north out of Barnstaple and head for Lynton and Lynmouth. Here you are on the edge of Exmoor, with the whole of that magnificent country stretching away into Somerset in the east.

If you are a country lover you will almost certainly have read at least one of Henry Williamson’s books. Either ‘Tarka the Otter’ or ‘Salar the Salmon’. Both are set in this area of the country as well as further into Exmoor and the Torridge. It was at Georgeham, just outside Croyde that Williamson lived for many years.

On the pages that follow is a rather personal selection of places which we have found particularly rewarding. We have collected together just some of the interesting things available to the visitor to Tarka Country and the North Devon coast. There is so much to see and do all year round. Whilst never as popular as South Devon for traditional seaside holidays, this area of England has so much more variety to offer you and your family that the cliche “Something for the whole family” is actually true. We are, of course, assuming that one of the family is not solely interested in nuclear power stations to the exclusion of everything else! But here you will find museums, theme parks, farm parks, leisure centres, beautiful wooded valleys and wide golden beaches.