Walk - Instow to Westward Ho! (via Bideford)

Highlights

• The preserved station and signal box at East-the-Water, which includes The Railway Carriage Visitor Centre and a restaurant in a restored carriage.
• Crossing Bideford’s historic Grade 1 listed Long Bridge over the River Torridge. It has 24 spans and all are different.
• Walking the riverside path known as Landivisau Walk (after Bideford's twin town) through Bideford’s quayside, past the many inns and the statue to Charles Kingsley.
• The historic port and ship-building town of Appledore which sits at the point where the Rivers Taw and Torridge meet. The huge, modern indoor shipyard builds large ocean going steel hulled vessels.
• The Northam Burrows, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is about 253 hectares of grassy coastal plain with salt marsh and sand dunes at the mouth of the Taw/Torridge Estuary. Further information available from The Burrows Centre. Tel: 01237 479708.
• Literary links of Westward Ho!: the town of Westward Ho! takes its name from Charles Kingsley’s novel and is the only place name in England which contains an exclamation mark.
• Watching the surfers at Westward Ho!.

Longer option

Walk to Buck’s Mills (an additional 6.8 miles, 10.9 km).

Public transport

National Express coach number 502 runs from Taunton to Barnstaple and First Great Western trains run regularly from Exeter to Barnstaple, where you can catch the hourly First North Devon bus number 1 to Instow, and on to Bideford, Northam and Westward Ho! For details visit Traveline or phone 0870 6082608.

Parking

Instow Sands (Postcode for Sat Navs: EX39 4HX), Bideford, Appledore, Northam Burrows Country Park and Westward Ho!