About Bideford

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Once Britain's third-largest port and rumoured to be the place where Sir Walter Raleigh landed his first shipment of tobacco, Bideford is a bustling market town and port with an active fishing industry.

Home to a pannier market which dates back to the 1800s, Bideford's narrow town centre streets lead to a tree-lined quay filled with fishing vessels, cargo and pleasure boats.

A statue remembers former resident and Victorian novelist Charles Kingsley, who spent time in what he called "the little white town" while writing his famous novel Westward Ho!. Whether you're on the literary trail or looking for a hassle-free holiday location, you're sure to find something here to appeal ... Bideford boasts a thriving quayside shopping centre plus many pubs, restaurants and antique shops, while just outside the town the Atlantic Village discount shopping complex and adventure playground centre provide the ultimate in retail therapy and family fun. The scenery surrounding the River Torridge is one of many contrasts, with spectacular coastlines and rolling countryside.

Westward Ho! has a long and wide sandy beach backed by a pebble ridge and the Northam Burrows country park, home to and England's oldest golf course. Just along the coast is the charming village of Appledore, where you can take a ferry across the estuary to Instow.

And a short distance inland is the beautiful farming country that surrounds Torrington, which has its own golf course, swimming pool and theatre, with the RHS Rosemoor gardens and world-famous Dartington crystal works nearby.

Bideford Tourist Information

Bideford - market, quay, restaurants, museum, art gallery, riverside leisure park, antique shops, Atlantic Village discount shopping complex, discos and boat trips to Lundy.

Westward Ho! - surfing beach, discos, amusements, riding stables and Royal North Devon golf club.

Northam - Burrows Country Park and indoor leisure pool. Skern Lodge Outdoor Activities Centre.

Appledore - ferry, fishing trips, character pubs, art galleries and maritime museum.

Torrington - golf course, theatre, indoor swimming pool, Civil War museum, common, Rosemoor Gardens and Dartington Crystal.

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