The Plough Arts Centre
In the centre of Great Torrington (on Fore Street) the
Plough Arts Centre provides a varied programme of art, workshops, films, theatre and music. Check their website, or ring to see what's on: 01805 624624. The café is open during most days. The bus from Winkleigh to Torrington leaves at 09.03, 11.13, 13.13, 15.13 and the journey takes about 30 minutes. Last (weekday) bus back is 17.07, getting to Winkleigh at 17.39.
Torrington 1646
The battle of Torrington in 1646 marked the end of royalist resistance in the West Country. Torrington 1646 will give you a flavour of what that was like. Colourful characters dressed as 17th Century residents of Great Torrington, and speaking in period language, guide you to safety through an indoor reconstruction of some of the lanes and streets of Great Torrington on the night of the fierce 1646 battle. Then you can try your hand at 17th Century games, try on some armour, or have a go at wielding a pike in the linhay (an open sided barn). Tel: 01805 626140. Take the 315 service from Winkleigh to Torrington and get off at the Church in Calf Street. It's about 300m from the bus stop. Last weekday bus back is 17.02.
Dartington Crystal
Visit Dartington Crystal and see glassmaking, tour the factory (on a working day) and even get your hand or foot cast (best to book this ahead). The visitor centre and shop is open 7 days a week. Kids under 16 go free when you take their leaflet with you (ask us if you don't have one). Telephone 01805 626242. It's about 500m from the bus stop in New Street, Great Torrington.
Bideford
In the 16th and 17th Centuries, Bideford was one of the busiest ports in England (in fact the 3rd largest), handling cargoes of all kinds, including a lucrative trade in tobacco and cotton from the New World. You can still sit on the Quay and watch the few local fishing boats land their catch, or cargo boats being loaded. Or stroll across the bridge…
Bideford Long Bridge spans the River Torridge, and each of its 24 spans are different. The bridge dates from Medieval times, but was widened in the 18th, 19th and early 20th Centuries. The original bridge was oak, founded upon an ancient causeway. Loose stone was placed around the timber footings, forming scour protection known as stirling, some of which is still visible today. In the Burton Art Gallery, along the Quay, you can see detailed scale model of the bridge through the ages, with churches at each end.
Tuesdays and Saturdays are market days in Bideford.
Bideford is on the 315 bus route and the journey takes about an hour. Last weekday bus back is 16.50.
Barnstaple
Barnstaple's pannier market - in the Independent's top ten food markets!
It's open Monday through Saturday, for local produce and general items, with collectables on Monday and Antiques/books/collectables on Wednesday.
There's been market there since Saxon times, but the present day Pannier market was built after the Great Cholera Epidemic of 1849, when the outdoor market was closed by the London based Commissioners for Health.
Catch the 315 from Winkleigh Turn at 09:03, arriving Barnstaple at 10:16. It's a short walk from the bus station to the market. Return bus is at 12:40 (arrive W 13:59), 14:40 (arrive W 15:59), 16:20 (arrive W 17:39).
RHS Rosemoor Gardens
The 315 bus drops you outside….
Get the 09.03 (arrives 09.31) the 11.13 (arrives 11.41) or the 13.13 (arrives 13.41) bus from Winkleigh. Weekday buses come back at 11.30, 13.30, 15.30 and 17.30 (15.52 on a Sunday) and the journey takes about half an hour.
Hatherleigh on Market Day (Tuesday)
Get the 09:03 bus from the Winkleigh Turn to New Bridge (just outside Torrington, arrives 09:32) then walk (21m) to the bus stop for the 86 bus, which departs 09.46, arriving Hatherleigh, at the Spar in Bridge Street at 10.16 just as the market gets underway. Every other week there's an auction of household items - all sorts of weird stuff. Bidding starts at 10:00.
(There is an earlier bus, leaving Winkleigh (Old Parsonage side) at 07:38 and changing in Copplestone, arriving in Hatherleigh for 08:40.)
Other things to do in Hatherleigh:
There's a pottery with show rooms on Market Street - telephone 01837 810 624.
There's also a café and several pubs.
Return: Get the 14:26 from the Market Car Park, Hatherleigh (service no 86). Change buses at New Bridge (arriving 14:54) and get the 315 service back to Winkleigh (15:28, arriving at the Old Parsonage, 15:59).
