North Devon market town on the Taw estuary, anchored by its Pannier Market and Tarka Trail.
Barnstaple is the main town of North Devon and has been a market town since Saxon times. The covered Pannier Market, built in 1855, still operates several days a week selling local produce, crafts, and antiques. Butchers Row, a line of Victorian shops beside the market, is one of the most photographed streets in Devon. Queen Anne's Walk, the 18th-century merchants' exchange on the riverside, is another landmark worth seeking out.
The town sits at the head of the Taw estuary and makes a natural base for exploring the North Devon coast. The Tarka Trail, a walking and cycling path named after Henry Williamson's novel, runs from Barnstaple along a disused railway line to Bideford and the coast. The surfing beaches of Croyde and Woolacombe are less than half an hour away, and Exmoor National Park begins just to the east. The Long Bridge across the Taw, in use since the 15th century, connects the town centre to the station and the trail.
Guide
Getting There
Barnstaple is served by the Tarka Line, a single-track railway running 39 miles from Exeter through the Taw valley. Services run roughly hourly and the journey takes about an hour and a half from Exeter St David's. It is one of the more scenic rail routes in England and worth taking for the ride itself.
By road, the A361 North Devon Link Road connects Barnstaple to the M5 motorway junction near Tiverton. The drive from London takes around three and a half to four hours without significant traffic. The road over Exmoor from Taunton via Dulverton is a more interesting alternative but adds time.
National Express runs coaches from London Victoria to Barnstaple; journey time is around four and a half hours. There is no commercial airport in North Devon; Exeter Airport (about 50 miles away) is the nearest with significant connections.
