Stowford Lodge Self-Catering Country Holiday Cottages
The Devon and Cornwall Area
Great Torrington town square and the newly refurbished Pannier Market, as featured in the drama series "Down to Earth" on BBC One, is only 3 miles away. Home to Dartington Crystal and RHS Gardens Rosemoor, and the newly opened 1646 Civil War Centre. Tarka Country is on our doorstep, Weare Giffard being the birth place of Tarka the Otter and offering access to the Tarka Cycle Trail; bikes are available to hire locally.
We are centrally placed for visiting Devon and Cornwall, all of which has plenty to offer the visitor for 'places to visit' and 'things to do'. Westward Ho!, Instow, Clovelly, Bucks Mills offering safe beaches are no more than a short car journey away. Ideal base for sea trips to Lundy Island from Bideford or Ilfracombe. Dartmoor and Exmoor are also within easy reach.
Supermarkets
Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Sainsburys and Tesco supermarkets are nearby. Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and Sainsburys will deliver to Stowford Lodge should you wish to pre-order your food. (Please ensure that you are avaiable to receive your delivery). Great Torrington also has a wide range of local produce available in the town and two supermarkets: a high street Co-op and Lidl.
Golf
Golf enthusiasts can enjoy a wide choice of golf courses with many of them within a 10 mile radius.
Clay Shooting
Clay shooting near Bradworthy www.tamarshootingground.co.uk 01409 241839
Fishing
Sea, Fly and Course fishing are also available locally, and a day's fishing can be bought at very reasonable prices.
www.westcountryangling.com
Surfing
Sandymouth Surf School Bude www.sandymouthsurfschool.co.uk 07870472448
Huge covered conservatories, or Biomes as they call them, you can visit the majestic rainforests, the Mediterranean, South Africa and California in a giant crater, in St. Austell, Cornwall, approx. 1 ½ hrs drive away, why not pay it a visit.
Great Torrington the Cavalier Town
This friendly, welcoming town, set in the heart of rolling, unspoilt green countryside, has become well recognised as an important heritage centre for the history of the 17th century. Torrington has a significant role in the English Civil War, specifically. The Battle of Great Torrington in 1646 marked the end of the Royalist resistance in the West Country. This led to the eventual defeat and execution of King Charles 1.
Pannier Market
Situated right in the centre of Great Torrington, the traditional Victorian Pannier Market has been refurbished in style. Typical of a country market town, it is an ideal venue for relaxed shopping all under cover. It houses 14 shops and craft workshops, open from Monday to Sunday and includes a large Market Hall, Thursdays and Saturdays are general market days, with a terrific selection of produce available at sensible prices. On Fridays there is an Antiques and Collectibles Market.
The Tarka Trail
A 180-mile cycling and walking track passes through deep wooded valleys and riverside tracks and has some of the most attractive scenery in the region. Bicycles can be hired on the route or bring your own to Stowford where we have a garage to store them when not in use.
Bideford 'The Little White Town'
Its architecture and historic associations has changed little from when Charles Kingsley lived in the area nearly 150 years ago. Kingsley's statue, located adjacent to the Tourist Information Centre, serves as a permanent reminder of this famous resident and the time he spent here writing part of his well-known novel Westward Ho!
Bideford is both a thriving market town and working port with much to offer visitors to the region. Amongst the many buildings and places of interest you will find the historic covered Pannier Market, dating from 1883, which holds a market every Tuesday and Saturday. Alongside the history you will find modern shopping amenities, a wide choice of bars and restaurants, entertainment and a tremendous range of visitor attractions for the young and not so young! Just up the road is Atlantic Village, a shopping complex selling cut price Designer label goods and fashionable items, outside is a large outdoor children's adventure play area.
Appledore and Instow
The traditional fishing village of Appledore is situated on the River Torridge, home to a picturesque harbour the village still maintains its links with shipbuilding within the privately owned Appledore Shipyards. Alongside the cobbled streets and quaint fishermen's cottages there is a community of artists with galleries of local art and crafts and the village's past is reflected by the location here of the North Devon Maritime Museum.
River cruises can be taken from the Quay where there is also a summer ferry across the estuary to Instow, which boasts a thriving yacht club and a long stretch of sandy beach.
Appledore viewed from Instow.
Westward Ho!
The name Westward Ho! was born out of Charles Kingsley's imagination. As a child he had lived for several years in Clovelly, where his father was Rector.
Westward Ho! is a popular tourist destination. The large expanse of sandy beach is well known for its pebble ridge, which runs for three miles. Potwalloping is an ancient custom here - the locals all meet on the beach and move the pebbles back onto the ridge to prevent the sea encroaching onto the famous burrows of Northam Burrows Country Park.
Clovelly
Clovelly is one of Britains prettiest villages with its cottages lining the famous cobbled streets which lead to a 14th Century Harbour.
Hartland
Hartland has stunning cliff top walks along the South West Coast Path.
Holsworthy
Holsworthy is a small market town, situated amidst the rolling green hills of North Devon. There are many natural attractions within a short distance, the rugged cliffs of the Hartland Peninsula, sandy beaches at Bude and nearby Widemouth Bay, the South West Coastal Path, fishing and boating on the Tamar and Roadford Lakes. Holsworthy is an ideal central base for visiting the main attractions of Devon and Cornwall and for discovering Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor.
Children's Entertainment
Is also easy to find come rain or shine including:
- Milky Way Adventure Park (Near Bideford)
- The Big Sheep (Bideford)
- Watermouth Castle (Ilfracombe)
- Exmoor Zoo (Barnstaple) www.exmoorzoo.co.uk
- North Devon Quadsand clay shooting (Barnstaple)
- Key Pits Quad Biking (Ilfracombe)
- Survival Paintball (Barnstaple)
- Quince Honey Farm (South Molton)
- Wildlife and Dinosaur Park (Ilfracombe)
- Go-Karting at www.northdevonkarting.co.uk (Barnstaple)
Tel: (+44) (0)1805 601 487 | e-mail: enq@stowfordlodge.co.uk