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North Devon
Scene
Braunton & West Down
Leaving Barnstaple via the main road to Ilfracombe,
you will come across Braunton and Saunton Sands. West
Down – a beautiful village that nestles in the
North Devon hills – is also worth a visit
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Braunton
From Barnstaple there are a number of interesting villages
to discover on the main road to Ilfracombe. The first
of these is Braunton which claims to be the largest
village in England. It has two main attractions –
the marvellous coastal features of Braunton Burrows
and Saunton Sands.
Sauton Sands is a hive of activity in the Summer as
it’s the perfect venue for all kinds of beach and
water sports. Miles of golden sands stretch out into
the Atlantic Ocean leaving plenty of space at low tide
for all beach-goers.
Braunton also boasts a countryside centre and museum,
which details the rich history of the area. The village
has a comprehensive range of shopping facilities, pubs
and restaurants for the visitor to enjoy. There is also
an active Braunton in Bloom committee and the whole
village throws itself enthusiastically into the task
of growing blooms.
Do not leave Braunton without visiting the Elliott Gallery
– it’s a fine exhibition centre for works
by many prominent artists. Craftwork and sculpture of
all kinds are displayed including woodcarvings, modelled
porcelain, glass engraving, handmade clocks, dried flower
collages, leatherwork, stained and engraved glass, lampshades,
model ships, woodwork of all kinds, an extensive range
of fine pottery and sculpture, to name but a few! The
gallery also promotes exhibitions of renowned art societies
from London, other major cities and regions of the UK,
providing the very best in current art and crafts. Individual
artists and craftworkers can occasionally be seen at
work, and video painting demonstrations are held daily.
West Down
West Down sits 450 feet above sea level in a bowl in
the hills on the edge of one of the steep, wooded valleys
which slice through the hills of this part of North
Devon. It is the largest of the inland villages that
support the scattered farms that have moulded the landscape.
Substantial farmhouses and smaller cottages are packed
tightly around the 14th century Church. Many of the
older buildings are of cob with slate roofs, and date
back to the 17th century. The farmhouses are now mostly
private dwellings and their land has been sold off –
it now being worked from farms on the periphery of the
village. At the west end is the village square.
Hidden Valley, just out of the village of West Down,
is worth a visit. At this lovely location you can find
a gift shop with a range of crafts made in North Devon,
together with a delightful coffee shop which has an
outstanding view over the lake and gardens. Wildlife
photographs by Trevor Beer, unique mirrors by Mike Taffinder
and ceramics by Heather Nicholls are all on display,
to name only a few. There are also nature trails to
walk, or you can just enjoy a relaxed stroll around
the gardens. Hidden Valley is easy to find just on the
A361 between Braunton and Ilfracombe and has plenty
of free parking plus good access and disabled facilities.
An international attraction
Braunton Burrows has achieved international status
by becoming a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Being a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve puts the Burrows and
surrounding North Devon coastal areas alongside 400
similar biospheres worldwide, including the Okavango
Delta in Southern Africa, the area around Mount Vesuvius
in Italy and the Danube Delta in Eastern Europe.
The area has also been expanded to now cover more than
3,000 hectares, including a buffer zone which incorporates
Northam Burrows, the Taw-Torridge estuary, Braunton
Marshes and Great Field and stretches as far as Croyde
Dunes and Kipling Tors.
The Burrows, which have been in the ownership of the
Christie family for the past 350 years, is one of the
largest systems of sand dunes in the UK. It is considered
of international importance because of the diversity
and abundance of rare plants and its continuous human
use dating back to ancient times.
The dunes contain around 500 species of flowering plant.
It is one of only two sites in the UK for the Water
Germander and is an excellent site for a range of rare
orchids. Unusually for dunes, there is also a long history
of human activity in the area, including the original
overland route linking North Devon to the rest of the
country.
The biosphere area incorporates one of the few surviving
medieval field systems and, in more recent times, was
used by American Forces for D-Day training in the Second
World War. Nowadays it is a popular recreation area
and incorporates the Saunton golf course and a military
exercise range.
Conferences hosted at Saunton Sands attract delegates
to learn about the background to UNESCO’s biosphere
reserves programme and the experience of reserves in
other countries.
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