Saunton Beach or Saunton Sands as known by many are three miles of golden sands, like Woolacombe facing the Atlantic, the beach stretching as far as the mouth of the Taw/ Torridge Estuary. Saunton is backed by Braunton Burrows which contain some of the highest sand dunes in the country. Like nearby Croyde,
Saunton is a well
known North Devon surfing beach, but with usually more manageable waves for the inexperienced and novice surfers amongst you.
The local surf life saving club
proudly claim ‘this is the best long-board beach in the UK’. The multi coloured doors of the beach huts adding more visual delight. There is a superb cafe-bar, a well stocked beach shop where beach hut & boards can be hired for the day. This beach is so long that there is no fear of being disturbed by excited children, and dogs can be taken on the beach. If you want something more substantial, or be closeted in luxurious surroundings you could try the famous Saunton Sands hotel.
Nearby is Saunton Golf Club with its famous championship course. Golfers also have the choice of The Royal North Devon, the oldest links course in England, the testing cliff top course of Ilfracombe or the parkland courses of Portmore and Willingcott Valley.
Braunton is a lively village, catering for the diverse interests of its many visitors. The large number of surf shops, which sell and hire equipment, reflect the status of local beaches as major surfing venues. Leave the shopping centre with its selection of delicatessens, bakers, gift & craft shops and you will soon find yourself in the narrow streets of the old village. St Brannock’s Church and the Elliot Art Gallery are well worth a visit, as are the Countryside Centre and Braunton Museum, both located adjacent to the car park in the centre of the village. The Tourist Information Centre is probably one of the most helpful in this area.
Climb to Braunton Beacon at the top of West Hill and enjoy the panoramic view of Braunton Great Fields, one of the few remaining examples of medieval strip farming and the Braunton Burrows nature reserve.
For the energetic The Tarka Trail, a 180 mile long network of paths linking the North Coast with Dartmoor, passes through the village and can be cycled safely along the estuary to Barnstaple and on to Torrington. Travel in the opposite direction on foot and the trail joins the South West Coastal Path along the coastline to Woolacombe, Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth.
Shirwell Village is on the edge of Exmoor, and fairly close to the North Devon coast. The countryside around is mostly woodland, open pasture and moorland, and the grounds of Arlington Court close by are managed to encourage wildlife. Red deer and buzzards can often be seen, and despite the local cats there is a good population of smaller birds. Some of the higher fields around the
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village support larks, and walking through the fields when the larks are singing high all around and above you is a fantastic experience. On wet nights, the roads are often scattered with common toads out after slugs and snails. They may appear ugly from a distance, but have gorgeous amber eyes.
St Giles in the Wood is a large parish with a number of hamlets, the greater part of which formerly belonged to the Rolle estate, centred at Stevenstone. George Rolle, one of the many successful Tudor lawyers, bought the Stevenstone estate shortly before 1524, and built himself “a right fair house of brick” (Leland) which was probably completed by 1539 when we find him writing to Lady Lisle from “my poor house” of Stevenstone. This Tudor house was rebuilt or remodelled some time in the 18th century, but in 1868- 72 the Hon. Mark Rolle rebuilt the house again in the worst style of the time. The richest man in Devon built himself the ugliest house. The church (St. Giles) was “restored” in 1863, with further alterations in 1879, by the Hon. Mark Rolle who spared no expense to make it as ugly as his own house.
Ashford is a small village close to Barnstaple, and very close to Bradiford Water Bird Reserve, where there are water meadows, scrapes and ponds just before the confluence of Bradiford Water and River Taw.
Chivenor is home to about 620 personnel from all three services, including Mechanical Engineers, Medics and Logisticians. No other unit has such an eclectic mix of cap badges working together. The Regiment’s purpose is to provide every aspect of combat service support for 3 Commando Brigade, anywhere in the world. In particular the Regiment’s aims are to provide support for brigade amphibious operations when sea based, during offload across a beach or port and over a large battle space on land.
The River Torridge starts its winding journey near Hartland, in the north western corner of Devon. The river is 48 miles long and rises at Baxworthy Cross before hurrying down to the estuary at Bideford. It goes in a loop, at first heading south east and then North West where it joins with the Taw estuary and flows into the Bristol Channel.
The Taw-Torridge estuary forms a part of the Tarka Trail, a walking and cycling route taking in a section of the rivers featured in Henry Williamson’s novel, Tarka the Otter. At the other end, so to speak, is a major tributary of the Torridge, the River Okement, rising amid the granite tors of Dartmoor. Its catchment area is almost entirely rural and the places it passes through are mostly villages and hamlets. The main towns are Great Torrington and Bideford.
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