North Devon. For some, merely a footnote on the road to Cornwall. Well, I’ve spent three weeks in the area and here are 10 reasons to turn this detour into a destination:
1) Surf Croyde
Packed with surf schools, facing due west into the Atlantic and covered in golden sands, Croyde Bay is an ideal location to take your first steps onto the board. It was the reason I moved to the area in the first place and it does not disappoint. Book a group beginner lesson to pick up a few basics, hire a softboard at one of the village shops and hit the waves like you’re Patrick Swayze in Point Break. Croyde can get crowded in summer, so consider neighbouring Saunton as an alternative for those sunny Saturdays in July when half the country decamps to the coast.
2) Kayak at Combe Martin
At the risk of stating the obvious, YOU WILL GET WET doing this activity. I arrived wearing some hiking trousers and a nice pair of running shoes, both of which were soaked by a wave about five seconds in. The coast around Combe Martin is perfect for kayaking and paddle boarding, with plenty of coves, arches and caves to keep things interesting. Once you’ve dried off, take the south-west coast path up to Great Hangman for some fine views from the top of England’s highest sea cliff.
3) Feast on local lobster in Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe is a port town dating back to the 12th century and remains a working harbour, with fresh seafood landed daily. Stop by the Smugglers Restaurant to sample lobster in the dim-lit surroundings of a vagabond’s den, complete with spyglasses, pistols and cutlasses hanging from the walls. When you’re done, head for the harbour entrance where you’ll see the controversial statue of Verity towering over 60 feet above the fishing boats. This stainless steel and bronze depiction of a pregnant woman was created by Damien Hirst in 2012 and has been scandalising the locals ever since, with the flesh of one half peeled back to reveal every anatomical detail.
4) Coasteering at Hele Bay
Full disclosure, this is the one item on the list that I haven’t done myself due to a rib injury from surfing. However, I have been coasteering in Cornwall and thoroughly recommend this mixed sport of swimming, climbing and jumping as a unique way to experience the coast. The rugged cliffs of North Devon provide plenty of opportunities and a host of outdoor centres now offer guided group sessions. I’m recommending Hele Bay, as it’s known to be the most challenging area, but you can also find trips running at Baggy Point and Watermouth Cove.
5) Indulge in cream tea at The Commodore Hotel
After all that exertion, you may just about have burnt enough calories to tackle the cream tea at this family run hotel in the village of Instow. Whether it is really intended for a single person I will never know, but this culinary triumvirate of baked scone, clotted cream and strawberry jam is a triumph. Cream tea is something of an institution in the south-west of England and the source of much acrimony between the Devonian and Cornish factions. Make sure to use the Devon method of putting the cream on before the jam or you’ll be out on your ear before you can say scone.
6) Set sail for Lundy Island
Climb aboard the MS Oldenburg at Ilfracombe or Bideford and make the two-hour voyage to this wild and rugged outpost in the Bristol Channel. You’ll find an eccentric but benign mixture of mammals waiting for you, including highland cattle, feral goats, sika deer and the islanders themselves. Make sure to visit the Old Light in the centre of the island and tackle the 147 crumbling steps for panoramic views over the windswept grasslands. Lundy has a long and chequered ownership history, having passed through the hands of the Knights Templar, Ottoman pirates, a corrupt sheriff and a wannabe king on the way to its present custodians, the National Trust.
7) Tuck into fish and chips at Squires
No trip to the British seaside is complete without battered white fish and a courageous portion of chips. Although not quite on the coast, Squires delivers a fine incarnation of the dish in the village of Braunton, a mere stone’s throw away from Croyde. There’s an attached restaurant if you want the singular experience of table service behind a deep fat fryer, but the takeaway box wrapped in greaseproof paper is the more authentic mode of delivery. Salt and vinegar with that? As if you need to ask.
8) Climb in the Valley of Rocks
If the video above didn’t make you want to visit this place, then I’m afraid your soul is broken and this paragraph can do nothing to help you. However, for the benefit of the visually impaired and those with slow bandwidth, I can attest this is a place of mesmerising beauty. The emerald valley is separated from sea-cliffs by a ridge topped with fractured sandstone blocks, offering excellent bouldering possibilities. There are guided climbing trips here, but it’s just as fun to explore by scrambling in your limits. Also, check out the steep path down to the seclusion of Wringcliff Bay where you can appreciate the scale of these towering rock formations.
9) Eat a brown derby at Westward Ho!
I tend to be sceptical of any food with “brown” in the name, but this combination of warm doughnut and cool ice cream, drizzled with nuts and topped off with a flake, really hits the spot. They were cooking the doughnuts from fresh dough on a sunny afternoon as I strolled along the seafront at Westward Ho! For the uninitiated, the punctuation mark does not merely signal my excitement at the prospect of a sugar rush, but is due to this being the only town in the UK with an exclamation point in its official name.
10) Cycle Exmoor
Exmoor may be a controversial conclusion to this list, as the majority of the national park lies in Somerset, but it’s too good to miss if you’re in the area. The best way to see it is on two wheels, but be prepared for some seriously steep climbs. Most road builders concede the need for the odd zig-zag once the gradient reaches 20%, but in Exmoor they are still adhering zealously to Roman principles. If you’re out after dark, watch out for the legendary Beast of Exmoor. This ferocious feline is linked to the violent deaths of over 200 farm animals and so alarmed the Ministry of Agriculture that they dispatched a Royal Marines sniper command to hunt it down in the early 80s. Bon voyage.
Photo credits:
North Devon postcard map: Alwyn Ladell <ahref=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>(license)</a>