T
he Blackdown Hills is one of the area’s greatest gems and a designated Area of Outstanding Beauty. With a vast selection of footpaths and bridleways this is a Mecca for walkers, riders
and cyclists.
Tiverton is the largest market town in mid Devon; it has a romantic castle and the idyllic Grand Western Canal. There are canal rides in horse drawn boats, local putting greens and a full size golf course. Other outdoor activities include archery, fencing, football, and a really super leisure centre. All of the history of this ancient town and mid Devon is portrayed in the Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life.
Being only a few miles from the North Devon link road and M5 motorway Tiverton is within easy reach of the north Devon beaches, Exeter and further south, it is the ideal base for a touring holiday of Devon.
TIVERTON MUSEUM OF MID DEVON LIFE is an award winning, family friendly local museum that explores the history of Tiverton and Mid Devon. Explore our large collections; including the popular ‘Tivvy Bumper’ GWR steam engine, farm carts and wagons and lots more! There is a lively temporary exhibition and events programme available on their website.
A few miles outside of Tiverton at nearby Bolham, on the A396 to Bampton, there is the National Trust KNIGHTSHAYES. Lose yourself in the finest gardens in the South West, and the only ‘garden in a wood’ in existence, showcasing every continent’s most beautiful discoveries. Alongside this is a gothic mansion, a fully productive kitchen garden, events for the whole family and an amazing café. Discover Knightshayes.
The beautiful Exe Valley can be explored from Tiverton by using the local steam rail. Near to Tiverton Bickleigh Mill is a historic working water mill with an amazing maize experience, and Bickleigh Castle are worth a visit. Also worth visiting are the villages of Loxbeare, Washfield, and Stoodleigh.
Bickleigh to Tiverton is a nice country linear walk, which takes in the best of the countryside, with kingfishers on the rivers and rabbits in the woods and much more wildlife. The walk follows the meandering River Exe through its twists and turns from village to town.
Travelling south on the M5, Cullompton is set within the tranquil Culm Valley, and boasts one of the UK’s most magnificent churches. For the children, and dads, the picturesque village of Willand is home to Diggerland where real diggers and other machinery can be driven, this is a great family DAY OUT.
Nearby at Uffculme is COLDHARBOUR MILL, an historic working woollen mill with waterwheel and original steam engine that gives a fascinating glimpse into the textile industry that once flourished in the area.
Crediton is a lively market town with a magnificent church and a famous saint, St Boniface. There is a thriving farmers’ market and the town is a centre for arts and crafts. Amenities include sports facilities, parks and recreational areas.
Crediton is within easy reach of Exeter and Dartmoor and Exmoor, thus making it an ideal centre for holidays. The surrounding countryside is idyllic for walking and there are a number of attractive and interesting villages worth visiting including the cob and thatched village of Cheriton Fitzpaine, also Colesbrooke and Shobrooke Barton. To the north of the town, beside the river Creedy, a footpath leads to Upton Hellions.
Our last featured town is historic Bampton which holds the ancient Bampton Charter Fair where Exmoor ponies are traded. For three days afterwards celebrations continue with the After the Fair fun and entertainment for all ages. There are the remains of an eleventh century Norman castle and many Grade 1 listed buildings to explore, as this town has more that any other in the southwest including a 13C tower. Parts of the vicarage are said to date from the middle of the 15th century and the Exeter Inn on the edge of the town was originally a farmhouse built in 1495.
The Grand Western Canal
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