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While you are here make sure you visit the glorious beaches on North Devon's
Gold Coast. Bideford is an ideal base for exploring other tourism hot spots
such as Croyde, Ilfracombe, Woolacombe and Mortehoe. From Bideford take
the A39 to Barnstaple then follow the signs to Braunton along the A361.
A trip across the new Taw Bridge provides a birds-eye view of Barnstaple,
North Devon's main town and commercial centre. The A361 runs alongside the
Taw Torridge Estuary and cuts through some spectacular countryside. The
large imposing "Castle" on the left, the Tarka Inn, was originally
called Heanton Court and was once home to families descended from King Edward
IV. The gateway to the Gold Coast is the colourful village of Braunton reputed
to be the largest village in England. At the traffic lights turn left for
Croyde along the Saunton Road (B3231) or right to Ilfracombe and Woolacombe.
The Braunton TIC on Caen Street has all the information you will need for
your trip to the Gold Coast. The B3231 continues past the Saunton Sands
Hotel which overlooks a five mile stretch of beach backed by some lofty
sand-dunes. This is Braunton Burrows which was awarded the UNESCO Biosphere
Reserve in 2002, the first site in the UK to receive the international accolade.
The championship links course of the Saunton Golf Club, established in 1897,
is also located here. The road eventually winds its way along the coast
and swings right down Hobbs Hill into Croyde Bay. Croyde is a quintessential
Devon village full of pretty whitewashed thatched cottages. It may have
an olde-worlde charm but, like Woolacombe,
it is definitely a modern, vibrant holiday venue with a good mix of traditional
art & craft galleries, gift shops, tearooms, cafes and ice-cream parlours,
lively pubs, bars, restaurants and surf oriented shops. There is also long
established garage, general stores and post office. The hub of the local
community as always is the village hall which was built in 1952 and hosts
a variety of events. It is also the venue for Croyde's Deckchair Cinema.
The "North Devon Surf History" Film will be showing on Sundays
throughout the summer. There is a good selection of self-catering holiday
cottages or caravan and camping facilities. Ruda Holiday Park, located a
few short steps from the beach, has a wide range of accommodation including
touring and camping, caravan holiday homes, luxury lodges as well as beachside
apartments. It is therefore a fantastic place to stay for families, surfers
and walkers. The local horse riding stables are open all year round for
group or individual tuition, hacks, beach rides or woodland rides and there
are plenty of companies offering surfing lessons or hire of equipment. High
above the beach is the South West Coast Path and Baggy Point which so inspired
the novelist Henry Williamson who lived for a while in the nearby village
of Georgeham. Croyde is a fantastic resort with safe bathing for children
and is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards during the summer season. In June Croyde
Beach is the venue for the Gold Coast Oceanfest a three day sport and music
festival. Experienced surfers from around the world enjoy a Croyde Beach
Break and we hope you will too.
Useful Links: The National Trust own 240 acres of land to the
north of Croyde beach towards Baggy Point which provides several popular
coastal walks on the South West Coast Path heading towards Morte Point and
Bull Point. Baggy Point itself offers fine walking round the point and cliffs,
popular with Rock Climbers. Walking maps are available at the National Trust
Car ParkHome In March 2022 *North Devon was formally announced as the 12th
World Surfing Reserve alongside iconic surfing locations around the world
North
Devon Surf Reserve. For
more information about the area visit North Devon AONB - Braunton
Burrows North Devon Biosphere Reserve - Croyde
Village Hall - Braunton
Countryside Centre - The
Museum of British Surfing, Braunton |
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| Croyde
Bay, Croyde Photos, Croyde Breaks, North Devon Gold Coast, North Devon Focus,
Surfing North Devon, Bideford Bay, Baggy Point, Croyde Accommodation |
