Bideford is the little white town that Charles Kingsley made famous in Westward Ho! — a historic port on the Torridge Estuary where the Tarka Trail, the figure-of-eight long-distance route inspired by Henry Williamson’s otter, passes directly along the old railway line on both banks of the river.

A historic and characterful port town with the Tarka Trail running along both estuary banks, Bideford makes an excellent base for flat, traffic-free riverside walking as well as access to the dramatic Hartland coast further west.