Westward Ho!
There are lots of places to visit in the Mid and North Devon, Exmoor, and Exeter areas.
From the rugged, and beautiful North Devon and North Cornwall coast, to the tranquil wooded valleys of Exmoor and the rivers Taw, Torridge, Mole, Yeo and Exe.
Not forgetting the infamous Lyn's, East and West, which combined to wash away Lynmouth in August 1952.
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The county town of Exeter as well as South Molton on our doorstep, with Great Torrington, Barnstaple and Bideford to the west, Dulverton and Tiverton to the east,
and to the north, the historic Dunster with its magnificent castle and market square.
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The beautiful beaches of Croyde, Braunton, and Woolacombe, plus the captivating coastal villages of Combe Martin and Appledore, Clovelly and Watchet.
Villages, both on the moors and in the rolling Devon hills, such as Winkleigh, Chulmleigh and Hartland.
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The National Trust have several sites in the district, ranging from stately homes to the moors and beaches. Check out their website for ideas.
From the rugged, and beautiful North Devon and North Cornwall coast, to the tranquil wooded valleys of Exmoor and the rivers Taw, Torridge, Mole, Yeo and Exe.
Not forgetting the infamous Lyn's, East and West, which combined to wash away Lynmouth in August 1952.
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The county town of Exeter as well as South Molton on our doorstep, with Great Torrington, Barnstaple and Bideford to the west, Dulverton and Tiverton to the east,
and to the north, the historic Dunster with its magnificent castle and market square.
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The beautiful beaches of Croyde, Braunton, and Woolacombe, plus the captivating coastal villages of Combe Martin and Appledore, Clovelly and Watchet.
Villages, both on the moors and in the rolling Devon hills, such as Winkleigh, Chulmleigh and Hartland.
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The National Trust have several sites in the district, ranging from stately homes to the moors and beaches. Check out their website for ideas.
Lundy Island is little more than 12 miles from Hartland Point and can be visited by day trippers in the summer by taking the MS Oldenburg, either from Bideford or Ilfracombe.
The paddle steamer, The Waverley also regularly takes visitors on a very special day out, either to Lundy or along the coast. Check their website for details
As Lundy is a working farm there are no dogs allowed apart from assistance dogs.
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As for things to see, most villages have fairs, craft and farmers markets, and events happening throughout the year.
We have brought together a selection of places and events we know of that we feel may be or interest.
We rely on on you to keep us up to date on all that is happening in the area, so please feel free to contact us with anything you think we should add,
whether you are a visitor who has stumbled on a hidden gem, or you are involved with something that you would like us to put on here,
either on the places to visit, places to eat or the events page, for the benefit of guests and readers of the Ducks Paddle website.
Just half a mile down the road from us, at the Y junction, Meshaw Moor Cross, is Meshaw Moor Nature Reserve.
It is what many parts of mid and north Devon would have once looked, smelt, felt and sounded like.
Its patchwork of small irregular shaped fields are bounded by hedges.
The fields themselves are classic Culm and flower-rich hay meadows.
Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a lead, there are frequently grazing animals in the reserve.
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Special mention to the wonderful West Middlewick Farm Shop.
Recently extended, this is a proper farm shop, catering for their camp and glamp site as well as the locals, they have a huge selection of veg, fruit, meat, preserves, drinks, and all manner of gifts too.
About halfway between Witheridge and Nomansland, watch the potholes in the drive.
It is a working farm, so please take care and keep dogs on leads
Open;
Monday: 1 – 6pm
- Tuesday to Saturday: 9 – 6pm
- Sunday: 9 – 12 (Easter to October)
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- You may be lucky and see the resident pussy cats.
- They also have a fishing lake for any angling types, information on their website.
South Molton, although a small town, boasts the best Pannier Market in the country.
Awarded Britain's Best Community Market by NABMA two years' running, so far.
As well as being a great place to buy cheese, bread, and cider (the cheese counter has a constant queue) it it the essence of sustainability, local people, making and selling, investing their time, enthusiasm and energy in what they sell, be it Dexter Beef, handmade jewellery or home baked dog treats, anyone who has brought a dog with them to stay with us will have had a pack of these as part of the welcome pack.
Running every Thursday (Market Day at South Molton) and Saturday. A host of regular traders, and one or two bringing what they have grown to sell, a particular favourite of ours is a young lad who occasionally sets up a veg' stall, produce dug out of the ground just hours ago.
We urge you to visit if you are here.
Two Food & Drink Festivals occur during the year, a Summer one, and a Festive one, showcasing all that is great about food and drink in North Devon.
There are regular Flea and Salvage markets, held on Sundays.
This is their events link.
The café is open whenever the market is running.
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If you are like us, and love to spend an hour combing any antique and reclamation sites, then Browns is the place for you.
Easily found on the road leaving South Molton, towards North Gate Roundabout and the A361; a green double decker bus marks the spot.
You never know what you may unearth, from reclaimed slate flooring to tubular bells, loads of garden and decorative items.
Open all the time, Mon - Sat 9 - 5pm and Sundays and Bank Holidays 10 - 4.30pm.
Awarded Britain's Best Community Market by NABMA two years' running, so far.
As well as being a great place to buy cheese, bread, and cider (the cheese counter has a constant queue) it it the essence of sustainability, local people, making and selling, investing their time, enthusiasm and energy in what they sell, be it Dexter Beef, handmade jewellery or home baked dog treats, anyone who has brought a dog with them to stay with us will have had a pack of these as part of the welcome pack.
Running every Thursday (Market Day at South Molton) and Saturday. A host of regular traders, and one or two bringing what they have grown to sell, a particular favourite of ours is a young lad who occasionally sets up a veg' stall, produce dug out of the ground just hours ago.
We urge you to visit if you are here.
Two Food & Drink Festivals occur during the year, a Summer one, and a Festive one, showcasing all that is great about food and drink in North Devon.
There are regular Flea and Salvage markets, held on Sundays.
This is their events link.
The café is open whenever the market is running.
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If you are like us, and love to spend an hour combing any antique and reclamation sites, then Browns is the place for you.
Easily found on the road leaving South Molton, towards North Gate Roundabout and the A361; a green double decker bus marks the spot.
You never know what you may unearth, from reclaimed slate flooring to tubular bells, loads of garden and decorative items.
Open all the time, Mon - Sat 9 - 5pm and Sundays and Bank Holidays 10 - 4.30pm.
Just a little further up the road is the famous, and award winning Quince Honey Farm.
A family run working honey farm based in South Molton first established in 1949, now with its third generation of beekeepers.
Moving to the current 54 acre site in 2019, with the huge Nectar Garden complex, has allowed a large area of pollinator plants to be nurtured, and produce some exceptional honey and other products.
Visit the Honey Factory and take a look behind the scenes at the honey production areas.
An Education Team are ready to guide you through your day and even open up a hive for you at one of the daily Beekeeping Demonstrations.
The unique hexagonal themed Nectar Gardens display thousands of bee friendly plants. Meadow trails and large indoor and outdoor play areas.
Pop in for some lunch or a browse in the shop, there is a large restaurant offering delicious home cooked meals and light bites, sit back with a wine or a cuppa and relax with views of the gardens and bees.
Open daily (including Bank Holidays)
Doors open 9:30am-5pm, winter tour programme runs daily from 11:30am-1:30pm, with free admission to the shop and restaurant.
Dogs on leads are welcome.
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Nearby, on the old road to Barnstaple, just past the pretty village of Swimbridge is Venn Vineyard.
The farm covers fifty acres. It has woodland, hedgerows, a river, three ponds, and supports wildlife galore.
On the site of what was previously a Farm Park. Vines now grow where Highland cattle used to graze.
Vineyard Tours from spring to early October 2024.
Tours will run at 10.30am and 2.30pm every Friday and Saturday with a maximum of 10 people per tour.
Please use their booking system to arrange a tour.
Also at the farm they have Lucho Bakes bread, he's at the Pannier Market in South Molton too on Thursdays and Saturdays,.
Not only that, but Green Man Cider reside there too, wit ha cider tap open on Saturdays, but check with them first, as well as tasting/tours.
They also attend the South Molton Food Festival.
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Barnstaple is about 30 mins away, a town with a wealth of history, take advantage of the excellent museum. Free entry and always several exhibitions running. Open Monday to Saturday 10 - 4pm.
A good shopping centre and some excellent pubs and restaurants, the Tarka Trail runs through, the cycle path begins at Braunton a few miles away, and also the remains of Barnstaple Castle.
Not far away is Marwood Hill Gardens, a gem, with various events including a pop-up pub, sounds fantastic, we need to go! Snowdrop days, theatre, and music, plant sales, and a tea room.
They welcome dogs on leads too.
Look on their website for opening times.
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About 20 mins down the A39 is Bideford.
Once the third largest port in the country and famous for being home of the author Charles Kingsley,
who regularly mentioned the towns and villages of North Devon in his work including Westward Ho!
Again the Tarka Trail cycle path runs through the town, The historic harbour town is packed with independent shops, local produce and the picturesque quay.
Like Barnstaple it has an array of fantastic pubs and restaurants.
Number Eight deserves a special mention, featured in the Trencherman's Guide, one of the best in Devon.
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A short way along the coast is the lovely village of Appledore, hosting an arts festival and a book festival too.
In spite of being a picture postcard village Appledore is still a ship building mecca, with Harland & Wolfe continuing the important and highly skilled work.
With winding narrow streets and colourful houses, the charming village of Appledore sits at the confluence of the Taw and Torridge rivers with lovely views across to Instow
With the North Devon Maritime Museum, housed in a Grade 2 listed Georgian building, the former home of several of the village’s important ship owners.
Add in boat and fishing trips and a seasonal ferry to Instow, and some super shops and places to eat; a regular fish van selling the freshest fish to tempt the epicures of seafood.
Winkleigh is a village with masses of history and legends, see Jackiefreemanphotography.com, for an entertaining run through the village's past.
Dragons, ghosts, and the Doomsday Book, as well as a name connected to Ducks Paddle, in Gidley, are all parts of the rich history of the village.
Gidley Cross is just up the road from us, and Gidley Arms pub was in the large house there, a previous owner actually owned Ducks when it was New Inn too.
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Sam's Cider barn, essential for all things cider related, Sam's Crisp is Sharon's favourite, and a fantastic licenced café, which is also listed in our places to visit.
Open for breakfast, lunch and cream teas (don't get me started on the Devonian method of putting cream on the scone first, it's simply incorrect!)
No dogs, aside guide and assistance ones, are allowed in the café itself, but they have a large space outside with water bowls, etc. So canines are catered for.
The Tallet Café is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 3pm.
Cider tours are a feature on Thursdays at 11 am, book online.
You can stock up on cider and gifts at the same time.
Also now they have Lucho Bakes bread, he's at the Pannier Market in South Molton too on Thursdays and Saturdays, also at Venn Farm, where the vineyard is
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Also in Winkleigh is Ten Acres Vinyard. Run since 2007 by Toby and Esther McKinnel, who moved to Ten Acres having lived in southern Hungary for five years in a house on a hill with a vineyard.
With over 2,500 vines on the south-facing slope of Winkleigh’s wartime airfield.
The first plantings were in 2008. The pressing, fermenting and bottling of wines all take place in the wine-making cellar.
Tours of the vineyard, and tasting are run on Saturdays from May to October and groups can book privately in advance. See their website and contact them for information.
Great Torrington is a little over half an hour’s drive from us.
It is an ancient market town with bags of character and a long and very interesting history dating from the Doomsday survey in 1086.
A beautiful walk along the Torridge which links up to the Tarka Trail, the original home of Tarka the otter.
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On the Tarka Trail we highly recommend the Puffing Billy café, also mentioned in our places to eat section.
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The Plough Arts Centre has a busy calendar of events throughout the year ranging from comedy to films, and live music.
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Just outside Great Torrington is the RHS Rosemoor Gardens, open every day apart from Christmas Day, the gardens are spectacular in any season, ranging from meadows and woodland to the formal, via the Stone Garden and Model Gardens, plus the fabulous Rose Gardens and Potager Garden. Giving masses of ideas for your own outdoor spaces.
They have events throughout the year including a vintage weekend in July.
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Moving along the coast is the picturesque village of Clovelly and a few miles south west is the village of Hartland, which has the most splendid market on the first Sunday of each month.
Plus Hartland Point where there in a motorcycle hillclimb held twice a year, a must for petrolheads.
Not forgetting to mention Hartland Quay Hotel which serves a most excellent roast and a fine pint of Hicks of St Austell ale.
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A little further away, about an hour from Ducks’ at Beaworthy, but worth the trip for a wine aficionado, is Torview Wines.
We met Tim at Hartland Village Market and having tried some of his wines, both still, and sparkling, we have no hesitation in recommending them.
They have tours and tasting events from the end of March until November for a very reasonable price.
Check on their website for details. Family run since 2007, and using only their own grapes, Torview is proof that the UK can make great wine.
It is an ancient market town with bags of character and a long and very interesting history dating from the Doomsday survey in 1086.
A beautiful walk along the Torridge which links up to the Tarka Trail, the original home of Tarka the otter.
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On the Tarka Trail we highly recommend the Puffing Billy café, also mentioned in our places to eat section.
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The Plough Arts Centre has a busy calendar of events throughout the year ranging from comedy to films, and live music.
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Just outside Great Torrington is the RHS Rosemoor Gardens, open every day apart from Christmas Day, the gardens are spectacular in any season, ranging from meadows and woodland to the formal, via the Stone Garden and Model Gardens, plus the fabulous Rose Gardens and Potager Garden. Giving masses of ideas for your own outdoor spaces.
They have events throughout the year including a vintage weekend in July.
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Moving along the coast is the picturesque village of Clovelly and a few miles south west is the village of Hartland, which has the most splendid market on the first Sunday of each month.
Plus Hartland Point where there in a motorcycle hillclimb held twice a year, a must for petrolheads.
Not forgetting to mention Hartland Quay Hotel which serves a most excellent roast and a fine pint of Hicks of St Austell ale.
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A little further away, about an hour from Ducks’ at Beaworthy, but worth the trip for a wine aficionado, is Torview Wines.
We met Tim at Hartland Village Market and having tried some of his wines, both still, and sparkling, we have no hesitation in recommending them.
They have tours and tasting events from the end of March until November for a very reasonable price.
Check on their website for details. Family run since 2007, and using only their own grapes, Torview is proof that the UK can make great wine.
Exmoor National Park is rightly famous.
Lorna Doone, a beast or two, one of the most beautiful and stunning coastlines in the country, very steep hills, Dunster Castle, Porlock Weir, Lynton & Lynmouth,
and recently has become an International Dark Sky Reserve, the first in Europe.
There are several websites dedicated to the Park:
https://www.nationalparks.uk/park/exmoor/
https://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/
These are the go-to places to find out anything and everything, but we have a few places close to us worth mention.
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Tarr Steps is an ancient clapper bridge, the longest in length still standing, although it has been repaired several times in its existence due to being washed away.
The name 'Tarr' is thought to be derived from the Celtic word 'tochar', meaning 'causeway'.
There is an inn, Tarr Farm Inn, which also has a small ice cream kiosk operating in holiday season, and some small parking space by the Steps.
The main car park is signed on the left, it is a short walk up the hill; it will be busy during holiday season.
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Exmoor Zoo is near Bratton Fleming, on the way to the coast, and on the edge of the National Park.
A great day out for anyone with a passing interest in wildlife.
Around half an hour from Ducks Paddle, on the way to Combe Martin Lynton & Lynmouth.
Open all year round, times depending on time of year.
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On the western edge of Exmoor is Lorna Doone Valley, with some superb riverside walks and the historic church at Oare, plus a café.
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Dulverton is a thriving town on the southern edge of Exmoor, just in Somerset, near Tiverton.
With a host of shops, a distillery and the Cottage Beer Project, and hosting literary, food, antiques, and music festivals and events, as well as a regular farmers market.
Tiverton is about half an hour away. One of the oldest settlements in Devon.
If you love history, Tiverton is a great choice, you can visit Tiverton Castle which has stood in the town since 1106, Bickleigh Castle which has moated gardens and Knightshayes Court.
A National Trust property, the house is a real gem, with wonderful architecture and Medieval style interiors. The décor amazing and is well worth the visit.
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Other heritage attractions include Tiverton Museum of Mid-Devon Life where you can find galleries full of the town’s social and industrial heritage.
Known for lace and played a large part in the industrial revolution with John Heathcoat bringing his whole operation and workforce to the town in the 1810's.
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The Grand Western Canal would have been part of that advance in the town's fortunes, and can be enjoyed in a more leisurely way today on the Tivertonian, the only horse drawn barge still operating,
then pop onto the Ducks Ditty Bar, featured on Ceri's Pub Club.
If you love history, Tiverton is a great choice, you can visit Tiverton Castle which has stood in the town since 1106, Bickleigh Castle which has moated gardens and Knightshayes Court.
A National Trust property, the house is a real gem, with wonderful architecture and Medieval style interiors. The décor amazing and is well worth the visit.
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Other heritage attractions include Tiverton Museum of Mid-Devon Life where you can find galleries full of the town’s social and industrial heritage.
Known for lace and played a large part in the industrial revolution with John Heathcoat bringing his whole operation and workforce to the town in the 1810's.
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The Grand Western Canal would have been part of that advance in the town's fortunes, and can be enjoyed in a more leisurely way today on the Tivertonian, the only horse drawn barge still operating,
then pop onto the Ducks Ditty Bar, featured on Ceri's Pub Club.
Exeter is a little under an hour away. The university city is the county seat of Devon, with lots of medieval buildings and the impressive cathedral.
There is a plethora of things to see and do here; shopping, dining, and entertainment,
including gigs on the university campus in the Great Hall and the superb Lemon Grove, and the Northcott Theatre for everything literary and comedic.
The excellent Phoenix hosts various events including comedy, music, and a solar powered cinema.
The marvellous Turk’s Head pub, running for more than 700 years, has a micro-brewery and hosts experience days.
If you don’t fancy driving to the city, there are trains running on the branch line from Barnstaple to Exeter St David’s, and Exeter Central.
Eggesford Station is our nearest, around 20 minutes away. Trains to Exeter are hourly.
There is a plethora of things to see and do here; shopping, dining, and entertainment,
including gigs on the university campus in the Great Hall and the superb Lemon Grove, and the Northcott Theatre for everything literary and comedic.
The excellent Phoenix hosts various events including comedy, music, and a solar powered cinema.
The marvellous Turk’s Head pub, running for more than 700 years, has a micro-brewery and hosts experience days.
If you don’t fancy driving to the city, there are trains running on the branch line from Barnstaple to Exeter St David’s, and Exeter Central.
Eggesford Station is our nearest, around 20 minutes away. Trains to Exeter are hourly.
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