Bideford, Devon And Its Storybook Mystique

There are lots of beautiful places to see when visiting England and the north coast

of Devon is loaded with awesome scenery and full of old-world charm too. One small town on the sea, Bideford-Devon, looks like something from a storybook or picture postcard. If you're traveling to the area make it a point to visit this little seaside village. You won't be let down.

The county (shire) of Devon is really quite beautiful and sometimes breath-taking to someone unfamiliar with the area. From the south coast around Teignmoth (known as the English Riviera) to the hills and famous wild horses of Dartmoor there are lots of things to see and do in this southwestern part of England. But the northern seaside areas of Devon around Bideford offer a unique charm all their own.

Coming into town you'll be brought across the River Torridge by a 13th century bridge called the 'Long Bridge', which is comprised of 24 arches all of a different size. Amazing that an 800+ year-old bridge can still stand the strain but so far so good! They built that stuff to last a lot longer in the old days.

Five hundred years ago Bideford was England's third busiest port and it's still quite active today. There's a lot of history to be discovered there. Rumor has it that this was the place where Sir Walter Raleigh first introduced tobacco to the country, which apparently isn't true but makes for good local legend. Several landmarks are named in honor of Sir Walter here and the stories live on.

Here's a bit of local flavour. Bideford was the site of the last witch-trial hangings in the country. In 1682 three women were convicted of witchcraft and hanged here. This, of course, has become an important part of local legend.

Author Charles Kingsley, who wrote a very well-known book entitled, "Westward Ho!" was from this area and it's also the setting for his famous novel. After publication of the book, a small seaside town of the same name was built about 3 miles from Bideford. The village of Westward Ho! remains the only place in England that contains an exclamation point in its name. Now THAT's a distinction!

These days the quaint streets of Bideford lead down to a bustling port filled with pleasure craft, fishing boats and cargo vessels. Many of these cargo ships are coming and going laden with Bideford's number one export which is a very rare mineral called 'ball clay'. Ball clay is an essential element in the manufacture of ceramics and is only found in a few places in the world, Devon being one of them. This keeps the economy moving right along, as ceramics are in high demand worldwide for there use in the computer manufacturing industry.

Come see Bideford-Devon. You'll be glad you did. The history and the scenery make it enchanting... Like something right out of a storybook. Come have a look!

by: Frederick Hoymer.

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