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ON-LINE GUIDE TO DEVON
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This brief guide provides
summary information on towns, villages and places to visit
in Devon as well as some interesting
facts and anecdotes on the local area. To find a specific
place either scroll down the page or use the find
facility on your browser. Much more information can be
found in our
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Known for its enchanting scenery, maritime history and bleak expanse of moorland,
Devon, England's third largest county, has plenty to
offer the visitor. To the southeast are the old
textile towns, including Axminster that lent its name
to the most luxurious of carpets, and Honiton,
still famed for its lace. Here, too, lies the
cathedral city of Exeter, the county capital, which has
its roots firmly in Roman times. The south coast
is littered with attractive and genteel seaside
resorts that are particularly highly regarded for
their mild climate while, in the west, is
Plymouth, where Sir Francis Drake famously insisted
on finishing his game of bowls before leaving to intercept the Spanish Armada. The middle of
the county is dominated by Dartmoor National Park, home to the famous prison and a wealth
of ancient monuments. Lastly, there is north Devon, with its spectacular coastline while,
just inland, is Tarka country, the area of Devon
that was made famous by Henry Williamson in his popular novel.
Exeter
First settled by the Romans, whose spectacular Roman Bath
House, or Caldarium, was uncovered in the Cathedral Close in the 1970s, it
was in the late 11th century that William the Conqueror took control
of Exeter. After ordering the construction of Rougemont
Castle, the gatehouse and tower of which can still be seen, work began on
the construction of St Peter's Cathedral, a massive
building project that was not completed until 1206. As well as being
an ecclesiastical centre, Exeter was also an important port and this
is reflected in its dignified 17th century Custom House that
now forms the centrepiece of the Exeter Historic
Quayside. There are some excellent museums in Exeter, and other
attractions include the University Sculpture Walk, which takes in works
by Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and guided tours
through Exeter's Underground Passages.
To the northeast is the large estate of
Killerton, which is centred on a grand 18th
century mansion set in parkland that contains
the Dolbury Iron Age hill fort and the 15th century Marker's Cottage.
Around Exeter
Cadbury
8 miles N of Exeter off the A3072
Cadbury Castle is an Iron Age hill fort that claims to have the
most extensive views in Devon. To the northeast lies
Bickleigh, a charming place of thatched cottages, which
is home to Bickleigh Mill, now a craft centre, and, Bickleigh Castle,
a moated and fortified late 14th century manor house.
Tiverton
13 miles N of Exeter on the A396
A strategic point on the River Exe, in 1106, Henry I ordered
the building of Tiverton Castle, around which the town began to develop.
The castle was later destroyed on Cromwell's orders though
the remains are substantial. A few miles north of Tiverton, up the
Exe Valley, is Knightshayes Court, a striking house that was the home
of the Heathcoat-Amory family.
Ottery St Mary
12 miles NE of Exeter on the B3177
This small town is justly proud of its magnificent 14th century
Church of St Mary. The vicar here during the mid 18th century was
John Coleridge, whose tenth child, Samuel Taylor, born in 1772,
went on to become a celebrated poet.
A mile to the northwest of the town is
Cadhay, a beautiful manor house that was built in 1550,
while close by is Escot Park and Gardens, where visitors can see an arboretum and rose garden
along with a collection of wildlife.
Honiton
16 miles NE of Exeter on the A30
Once a major stopping place on the great Roman road, Fosse
Way, Honiton is best known for the lace that is still sought today.
First introduced to east Devon by Flemish immigrants during
the reign of Elizabeth I, the lace is still made here and can be bought
from local shops and also seen in Allhallows
Museum.
Axminster
24 miles NE of Exeter on the A358
This ancient town on the River Axe is famous for the carpets that
bear the town's name. The creation of just one carpet took so much
time that each one's completion was celebrated by a procession to
St Mary's Church - which naturally has its own Axminster carpet.
Carpets are still manufactured here and the factory welcomes
visitors, while the Axminster Museum dedicates some of its
exhibition space to the industry.
Seaton
20 miles E of Exeter on the B3174
Once a significant port, Seaton expanded during the Victorian
era as wealthy families, looking for sea air, came here and built their villas.
The railway line that brought many of the Victorians here has
been replaced by the Seaton Tramway, which links the resort with
the ancient town of Colyton, three
miles inland. From Seaton, the South West Coast
Path follows the coastline eastwards to Lyme Regis in Dorset. Considered
by naturalists as the last and largest wilderness on the southern coast
of England, this area of unstable cliffs, wood and scrub is a haven
for wildlife.
To the west of Seaton is the picturesque old fishing village
of Beer, best known for the superb white freestone that can be seen
in churches all over Devon as well as in the Tower of London
and Westminster Abbey.
Sidmouth
13 miles E of Exeter off the A3052
It was here that the future Queen Victoria saw the sea for the
first time, brought here by her proud, penniless father, the Duke of
Kent. Some 50 years later, Queen Victoria presented a stained glass window
to Sidmouth parish church in memory of her father.
Sidmouth Museum provides a very vivid presentation of
the Victorian resort along with an interesting collection of
local prints, a costume gallery and a display of lace. In 1912, Sir
Joseph Lockyer founded the Norman Lockyer Observatory
for astronomical and meteorological research.
Sedate Sidmouth undergoes a transformation in the first week
of August each year when it plays host to the International Folklore,
Dance and Song Festival.
Budleigh Salterton
11½ miles SE of Exeter on the B3178
A famous Victorian visitor to Budleigh was the celebrated
artist Sir John Everett Millais, who stayed here during the summer of 1870
in a curiously shaped house that is known as The
Octagon. On the seafront is Fairlynch
Museum, one of the very few thatched museums in the country.
Just to the north lies Hayes Barton, a wonderful
E-shaped Tudor house that was the birthplace of Sir Walter Raleigh. On the
banks of the River Otter stands Otterton Mill, a part medieval building,
and Bicton Park Botanical Gardens that were laid out in the
18th century.
Exmouth
9 miles SE of Exeter on the A376
Situated at the mouth of the River Exe, this
small fishing village was one of the first seaside resorts in Devon and was
dubbed the `Bath of the West'. On the northern outskirts of the town is one of
the most unusual houses in Britain - A La
Ronde - a unique 16-sided house that was built in the late
18th century on the instructions of two spinster cousins who were
inspired by the basilica of the San Vitale at Ravenna. On the opposite bank
of the river stands Powderham Castle, the home of the Earls
of Devon, surrounded by one of the finest parks in the county.
Barnstaple
One of the most attractive
buildings here is Queen Anne's Walk, a colonnaded arcade that
has a statue of Queen Anne on top of its central doorway. Opened
in 1708, it was used by the Barnstaple wool merchants who accepted
that any verbal bargain they made over the Tome Stone would be
legally binding.
Barnstaple is also the northern terminus of the
Tarka Line, a wonderfully scenic 39-mile
route that follows the gentle valleys of the Rivers Yeo and Taw,
where Tarka the Otter had his home. Walkers, too, can discover
the countryside that inspired the novel by taking the
Tarka Trail, an unusual figure-of-eight
long-distance footpath of some 180 miles that crosses over itself
at Barnstaple.
Around Barnstaple
Muddiford
3½ miles N of Barnstaple on the B3230
Just to the southwest of this pretty village are
Marwood Hill Gardens with their collections of rare
and unusual trees and shrubs, while to the northeast lies
Arlington Court, the family home of the
Chichesters from 1534 until the last owner, Miss Rosalie Chichester, died
in 1949. The nearby village of Shirwell was birthplace of
the yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester, whose father was the vicar.
Sir Francis died in Plymouth after being taken ill on his
fourth transatlantic race; he is buried in
the churchyard of St Peter, Shirwell.
Combe Martin
9 miles N of Barnstaple on the A399
A popular seaside resort, with an exceptionally long main street.
The village is home to a remarkable architectural curiosity, the
18th century The Pack o' Cards Inn, which represents a pack of
cards with four decks, or floors, 13 rooms and 52 windows.
Lynmouth
14 miles NE of Barnstaple on the A39
This pleasant village has benefited from two great
enthusiasms, romantic scenery and sea bathing, and both Coleridge
and Wordsworth came here on a walking tour in the 1790s,
while Shelley visited in 1812. To aid the growing tourist trade the
Lynton-Lynmouth Cliff Railway opened in 1890, linking the town with
its neighbour Lynton, a place of chiefly Victorian architecture.
To the west lies the Valley of the Rock that RD
Blackmore transforms into the Devil's Cheesewring in his novel
Lorna Doone. To the southwest is one of Exmoor's most spectacular
wooded valleys, Heddon Valley.
Crediton
26 miles SE of Barnstaple on the A377
This sleepy market town was, in AD 680, the birthplace
of Wynfrith, who went on to become one of only a few Britons
to
become saints - he adopted the name Boniface. It was nearly
1,200 years before the people of Crediton gave their saint any form
of recognition when in 1897 an east window was installed in the
town's cathedral-like Church of the Holy
Cross that depicts scenes from his life.
Great Torrington
10 miles SW of Barnstaple on the A386
This hilltop town has several thriving industries,
including Dartington Crystal, where
visitors can see skilled craftsmen blowing and shaping the molten glass.
Just to the south of Great Torrington and occupying
a breathtaking location in the Torridge Valley is the
Royal Horticultural Society's Rosemoor,
a wonderful place that includes mature planting in Lady
Anne Palmer's magnificent garden and arboretum.
Bideford
8 miles SW of Barnstaple on the A386
This was once Britain's third busiest port, and evidence of this
golden age can still be seen around the town in the various
opulent merchants' houses that have survived. It was while staying
here that Charles Kingsley wrote Westward
Ho!, the swashbuckling Elizabethan story that is
based around the town.
To the north, on the east bank of the River Torridge, are
Tapeley Park Gardens - some 20 acres of
gardens that have been divided into four distinctly different
themed areas. Overlooking Bideford Bay is Westward
Ho!, which developed into a resort following
interest shown in Charles Kingsley's novel.
Appledore, three miles north of Bideford, is a delightful old
fishing village of narrow winding lanes and sturdy 18th and 19th
century fishermen's cottages overlooking the Taw-Torridge estuary.
Clovelly
17 miles SW of Barnstaple on the B3237
This unbelievably quaint village, which tumbles down a steep
hillside in terraced levels, is many people's idea of the typical
Devonshire coastal village. Charles Kingsley lived and attended school here in
the 1820s and the Kingsley Exhibition explores the novelist's links with
the village, while the neighbouring Fisherman's
Cottage provides an insight into what life was like
in Clovelly at that time.
To the west lie Hartland Point, from where there
are breathtaking views, Hartland Abbey, which houses a
unique exhibition of documents that date back to 1160,
and Hartland Quay, where a museum records the
many shipwrecks that have littered this jagged coastline.
Holsworthy
26 miles SW of Barnstaple on the A388
This old market town lies just four miles from the Cornish
border, serving a large area of rural Devon. Each Wednesday, it comes
alive with its traditional street market, and in July the town plays host
to the three-day long St Peter's Fair, an ancient event first held here
in 1185. Holsworthy's most striking architectural features are the
two Victorian viaducts that once carried the railway line through to
Bude. Situated high above the southern outskirts of the town, they
now form part of a footpath along the old track bed and it is possible
to walk across them. Housed in an 18th century parsonage,
the volunteer-run Holsworthy Museum gives visitors an
insight into local history and traditions by various themed displays.
Braunton
4¼ miles NW of Barnstaple on the A361
Claiming to be the largest village in Devon, Braunton is home to
one of the few remaining examples of a Saxon open field strip system that
is still actively farmed, while in the dunes is the
Braunton Burrows nature reserve. Just to
the northwest lies Croyde, renowned for its family-friendly beach,
and close by, at Georgeham, is the house which Henry
Williamson built and lived in after World War I, and where he wrote his
famous novel, Tarka the Otter.
Ilfracombe
9½ miles NW of Barnstaple on the A361
Ilfracombe developed in direct response to the early 19th
century craze for sea bathing and seawater therapies and the
Tunnel Baths were opened in 1836, by which
time a number of elegant residential terraces had been built on
the hillside to the south of the old town.
Totnes
Claiming to be the second oldest borough in England,
Totnes, according to local legend, is said to have been founded by a
Trojan named Brutus in around 1200 BC; the Brutus
Stone, in the pavement of the town's main shopping
street, commemorates this event. The first recorded evidence of the
settlement was in the mid 10th century, when King Edgar established a mint
here. There was already a Saxon castle here but the remains of
Totnes Castle are of a once imposing Norman fortification.
Totnes Museum, housed in an
Elizabethan building, remembers the town's most famous
son, Charles Babbage.
Around Totnes
Newton Abbot
7 miles NE of Totnes on the A381
It was here in 1688, that William, Prince of Orange, was
proclaimed King William III and, while here, he stayed at the Jacobean
manor house, Ford House, which had played host to Charles I in 1625.
The whole character of this attractive town changed in
the 1850s when the Great Western Railway made it their centre
of locomotive and carriage repair works; it was also the junction
for the Moretonhampstead and Torbay branch lines.
Dawlish
14 miles NE of Totnes on the A379
From its earliest days as a seaside resort, Dawlish has attracted
many distinguished visitors, including Jane Austen, John Keats
and Charles Dickens, who in his novel of the same name had
Nicholas Nickleby born near the town. To the northeast of the town
is Dawlish Warren, a nature reserve that is home to many species
of flowering plant, including the rare Jersey Lily.
Teignmouth
12 miles NE of Totnes on the A379
There are two distinct sides to this town - the popular holiday
resort with its fine Regency residences
and the working port on the northern bank of the River Teign.
Just north of the town lies the Shaldon Wildlife Trust
breeding centre for rare small mammals, reptiles and exotic birds.
Torquay
8 miles NE of Totnes on the A379
A genteel and elegant resort that has become known as `The
English Naples', Torquay, which grew up around Torre
Abbey that was founded in 1195, was the birthplace, in 1890, of
Agatha Christie. It was here that she began writing her crime novels while
her second husband was away on active service during World War I.
One of the town's most popular attractions is the
Agatha Christie Memorial Room in the
Abbot's Tower. Just inland lies Compton
Castle, a wonderful fortified manor house built between the 14th
and 16th centuries.
Paignton
5 miles E of Totnes on the A379
The development of Torquay saw neighbouring Paignton
soon become a resort, complete with pier and promenade, that
still appeals to families today. Among the main attractions are
Paignton Zoo and the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam
Railway that follows the coastline along the bottom of Tor Bay
before travelling through woodland to Kingswear. Here passengers
alight and catch a ferry to Dartmouth. Just to the south, at
Galmpton,
lies Greenway, the house to which Dame Agatha
Christie moved for the last 30 years of her life.
Dartmouth
7 miles SE of Totnes on the A379
One of England's principal ports for centuries, the town also has
a long connection with the Royal Navy, the oldest of the
British services. Guarded by Dartmouth
Castle, built by Edward IV after the War of the Roses,
Dartmouth's harbour is home to the handsome 18th century
Custom House, while its most famous building
is the Britannia Royal Naval College.
On the opposite bank of the Dart estuary are the
impressive remains of Kingswear Castle that is a twin to
Dartmouth's fortification. A huge chain was strung between the two
castles when there was thought to be an added threat of invasion.
Salcombe
14 miles SW of Totnes on the A381
Standing at the mouth of the Kingsbridge estuary, this
delightful town enjoys one of the most beautiful natural settings in
the country. The harbour throngs with pleasure craft, and its old
Customs House is home to the Salcombe Maritime and Local
History Museum.
To the south of the town lies Overbecks, a charming house
that was built in 1913 and was the home of research chemist Otto
Overbeck
from 1918 to 1937. The house holds Overbeck's
wide-ranging collection, including late 19th century photographs of the
area, local shipbuilding tools, model boats, toys and much more.
The beautiful, sheltered garden, with views out over Salcombe estuary,
is planted with many rare trees, shrubs and plants, giving it
a Mediterranean feel.
Kingsbridge
11 miles SW of Totnes on the A381
At the head of the Kingsbridge estuary, this pretty town is a
place of narrow alleys that has retained its Elizabethan market arcade,
The Shambles, while its rather modest Victorian town hall has an
unusual onion-shaped clock tower that adds a touch of glamour to the building.
For anyone looking to learn more about this area of Devon
a visit to the Cookworthy Museum of Rural
Life is a must. Just offshore and reached by a
causeway from Bigbury on Sea is Burgh
Island, which is an island only at high tide. When the tide recedes,
it can be reached by walking across the sandbank or by taking
an exciting ride on the Sea Tractor. The whole of this 28-acre
island, complete with its 14th century Pilchard Inn, was bought in 1929
by the eccentric millionaire Archibald Nettlefold, who built a hotel here
in extravagant Art Deco style.
Tavistock
This handsome old market town grew up around the 10th
century
Abbey and flourished following the discovery of tin on
the nearby moors. The town seen today is
essentially the creation of the Dukes of Bedford, who acquired the
Abbey at the time of the Dissolution and remained there until 1911.
While little remains of the Abbey, one of its legacies is the annual
Goose Fair, a marvellous traditional street fair held in October. Tavistock
was also permitted to hold a weekly market that, 900 years later,
still takes place every Friday in the Pannier
Market, one of the finest market buildings in the southwest.
Also on the western side of Tavistock can be found
the Tavistock-Morwellham Canal, which was built in the early
19th century as the town and surrounding area were experiencing a
copper boom. Today, Morwellham Quay, just south of the town, has
been restored to re-create the busy atmosphere of the 1850s, when
half the world's copper came through this tiny hamlet.
Around Tavistock
Lydford
7½ miles NE of Tavistock off the A386
A royal borough in Saxon times, Lydford's former importance
is reflected in its austere stone fortress Lydford
Castle. To the southwest of the village, the valley of the
River Lyd suddenly narrows to form the mile and a half long
Lydford Gorge, one of Dartmoor's most spectacular natural features.
A circular walk around the gorge begins high up before
passing through the enchanting riverside scenes, including the
thrilling Devil's Cauldron. Further south again is
Brent Tor, a 1,100 feet volcanic plug that is one of the
most striking sights in the whole of Dartmoor. The
Church of St Michael of the Rocks stands on the top of it. The fourth
smallest complete church in England, St Michael's is only 15 feet wide and
37 feet long and has walls only 10 feet high but three feet thick.
Okehampton
15 miles NE of Tavistock on the B3260
The town occupies a strategic position on the main route
to Cornwall, and situated on the top of a wooded hill are the remains
of Okehampton Castle, the largest medieval castle in Devon.
Housed in an ancient mill is the Museum of Dartmoor
Life while, in the surrounding courtyard, is
the Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre. To the south
of Okehampton are Dartmoor's greatest peaks, High
Willhays and Yes Tor, which rise to over
2,000 feet.
Chagford
17 miles NE of Tavistock on the B3192
An ancient settlement that was one of Devon's four stannary
towns, Chagford today is noted for the numerous ancient monuments
that litter the surrounding countryside. Close by, near the pretty village
of Drewsteignton, are two Iron Age hill forts along with the rather
more modern Castle Drogo, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and
built between 1910 and 1930.
Princetown
6½ miles E of Tavistock on the B3212
Situated at the heart of Dartmoor, some 1,400 feet above sea
level, Princetown is the location of one of the country's best-known
and most forbidding prisons - Dartmoor
Prison, which first opened in 1809. Princetown is
also home to the National Park's Moorland Visitor
Centre that contains some excellent and informative displays about
the moor. To the west lies Widecombe in the
Moor, home to a grand old church that has been dubbed
the Cathedral of the Moors and to a famous September fair. To
the north of the village is Grimspound, the most
impressive of all Dartmoor's Bronze Age relics, which featured in
The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Bovey Tracey
21 miles E of Tavistock on the B3344
To the north of this small town lies
Parke, the former estate of the de Tracey family and now
the headquarters of Dartmoor National
Park; the present house dates from the 1820s and the grounds
are home to a Rare Breeds Farm.
To the east of Bovey Tracey lies Ugbrooke House and
Park that was built in the mid 18th century for the Clifford family
and is still their home today. To the northwest is one of
Dartmoor's most popular villages,
Lustleigh, from where there are delightful walks, and
Becky Falls Woodland Park.
Buckfastleigh
17 miles SE of Tavistock on the B3380
A former wool town on the banks of the River Mardle,
Buckfastleigh is the western terminus and headquarters of the South
Devon Railway, whose steam trains continue to make the
seven-mile journey through the valley of the River Dart to Totnes.
Another popular attraction close to the town is the
Buckfast Butterflies and Dartmoor Otters, where the
exotic butterflies can be seen in a specially designed tropical rain
forest environment; the three species of otter include the native
British otter.
Buckland Monachorum
4 miles S of Tavistock off the A386
Tucked away in a secluded valley above the River Tavy, 13th
century Buckland Abbey was the last home of Sir Francis Drake,
who purchased it from his rival, Sir Richard Grenville.
Plymouth
11½ miles S of Tavistock on the A386
The most famous part of this historic city is
undoubtedly Plymouth Hoe, the park and
promenade overlooking Plymouth Sound where
Sir Francis Drake was playing bowls when he was told of
the approaching Spanish Armada. Just offshore, in the waters of
the mouth of the River Tamar, lies Drake's
Island, an English Alcatraz that was, in medieval
times, known as St Nicholas' Island. 12 miles out in the English
Channel lies the famous Eddystone
Lighthouse.
Plymouth's oldest quarter, the Barbican, is today a lively area
of restaurants, pubs and an innovative small theatre, while close by is
The Citadel, a massive fortress that was built by Charles II as a
defence against a seaborne invasion. Near here is a reminder that
Plymouth was the departure point for the Pilgrim Fathers; the
Mayflower Stone stands at the point where they boarded their ship.
Five miles east of Plymouth, Plympton is home to
Saltram House and Park, a prestigious 18th century mansion
surrounded by a large estate near the tidal creek of the Plym estuary. The
Plym
Valley Railway runs from Marsh Mills, Plympton, to the local
beauty spot of Plym Bridge.
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