| Croyde  | | •
The picturesque Croyde village. |
CROYDE nestles in a sheltered
combe with quaint thatched cottages alongside a stream. The beautiful village
gets its name from Crydda, the Viking, who settled there more than 1,000 years
ago. The oldest building, St Helen’s Chapel in Cott Lane was built in the
12th century and is dedicated to the celtic Saint Endelentia who brought Christianity
to the village. Opposite the chapel, in a tiny lane behind St Helen’s
Priory, is the Holy Well, or Lady Well, which was blessed by Saint Endelentia
and was popular with pilgrims for centuries. Also in Cott Lane is Chapel Farm
Gallery, where local pottery, paintings and crafts can be found. From here, you
can walk through to St Helen’s priory gardens, where you can enjoy a cream
tea in a lovely, peaceful setting
.
Almost hidden, Croyde has an extensive
selection of accommodation and amenities – holiday parks, cottages, guest
houses and hotels to cater for all tastes and all pockets. Every Tuesday, Town
and Country Markets hold their well established open air market.
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Croyde Beach: a well known surfer's paradise. |
Turn off
the main road at Braunton and head for Croyde along a coast road with vistas of
beaches and surf which dazzle the senses. En route is Saunton Sands with nearly
three miles of flat, golden beach stretching away into the distance. It is used
all year round for watersports. Saunton beach is backed by 1,000 acres of Europe’s
highest dunes in the nature reserve of Braunton Burrows – a wild and natural
landscape designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Croyde is a
highly popular holiday area and its beach is one of the best around for swimming,
surfing, fishing or simply lying in the sun.
In the village itself, the
Gem Rock and Shell Museum, and the ice cream shops where your cornet is topped
with a great blob of clotted cream, are a ‘must’. A little way inland,
along the winding B3231, is Georgeham, famous for its association with Henry Williamson,
author of Tarka the Otter and Salar the Salmon. The hut in which he wrote is still
there at Oxford Cross and is visited each year by the Henry Williamson Society.
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