North Devon is often considered as one of the best kept secrets in the UK.  Containing Exmoor National Park and bordered to the south by  Dartmoor National Park there is no shortage of good varied walking country.  As if this were not enough there is the North Devon Coast Path which will take you from Exmoor along sandy beaches and through the dramatic coastline of the  Hartland Peninsula (a Designated Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty)  to the border with Cornwall.  The Tarka Trail is a redundant railway line which has been converted into a footpath  and cycle path which starts from  the Coast Path at Barnstaple and winds its way through the centre of the region to Dartmoor. Cycles can be hired from the old stations at Barnstaple, Bideford and Great Torrington.

Many historic characters have lived in the area at some stage of their lives  from famous seafarers like Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Richard Grenville and Sir Francis Drake to Rudyard Kipling (Jungle Book & Just So Stories) and Charles Kingsley (Water Babies & Westward Ho!).  The latter being a good tale about the region in the days of Drake and Raleigh.  Kingsley made his home in the picturesque village of Clovelly and his statue stands at the end of the Quay in Bideford.  The Hartland Peninsular has a long history of wrecking and smuggling some tales of which are definitely not for the squeamish.  The Town of Great Torrington was one of the last strongholds of the royalists in the Civil War and the "1646 Experience" is not to be missed.  For the more genteel the town also offers the Royal Horticulture Societies gardens at Rosemoor and Dartington Crystal.

The area boasts some extremely fine beaches such as Instow, Westward Ho! and Croyde.  Away from the Taw Torridge estuary the coast is much more dramatic with the breathtaking cliffs at Hartland to the intriguing inlets around Exmoor.

There is no shortage of recreational facilities in the area. Both Bideford and Barnstaple offer well equipped sports centres with swimming pools.  There are many good golf courses in the area and facilities for horse riding. For the children The Big Sheep will give hours of entertainment, don't miss the sheep racing.  Both fishing and sailing are available at Tamar Lakes on the Cornish border.

The largest towns in the area are Barnstaple and Bideford have a good range of varied shops, however if you are in need of serious retail therapy it is recommended that you travel further afield to Exeter or Plymouth.

And while you're on the beach, why not try a Hocking's ice cream?