Bideford

Bideford is a short distance inland from the amazing North Devon coast at Westward Ho! It’s on the wide River Torridge, just before it joins the sea at Appledore and Instow. This is a busy market town with a long historic bridge linking the two parts of the town and a striking new bridge carrying the Atlantic Highway past on its way to North Cornwall. As well as being a popular place to live, Bideford gets a boost from its summer visitors, making this a vibrant and cheerful town for your new home. At the heart of the town, the Victoria Park is a hit with families - there's a summer splash pool for children and the Burton Community Museum and Art Gallery is a great meeting place for friends. It's got a popular cafe to make the most of after checking out the latest exhibition. You can follow the River Torridge inland to discover the best of rural North Devon, where there are rolling hills, pretty villages and country pubs for Sunday lunch.

Living in Bideford

Living here

Bideford is a key town for the rural area around it. Its local shops are centred close to the Quay in the town centre and its supermarkets are mostly on the outskirts, as is the town’s large shopping outlet centre. This keeps a good town centre atmosphere for residents and visitors alike. There’s a community hospital, the Victoria Park on the Riverbank for family leisure time, along with the inspirational Burton Art Gallery & Museum, a football club, bowling club and skate park, and plenty of places to eat and drink.

Getting out and about

The A39 Atlantic Highway is the main route across North Devon and on into North Cornwall. It joins the A361 North Devon Link Road at Barnstaple for the connection to Tiverton and the M5. The A386 is the main route inland to Okehampton where it links with the A30, another key route for the South West. Local roads take you to Westward Ho!, Appledore and Instow which are Bideford’s longstanding favourites on the coast. Stagecoach Southwest operates bus services for the town. There’s a local train line between Barnstaple and Exeter, with the nearest stations for mainline services at Tiverton and Exeter.

Going to school

Following on from the choice of primary schools in Bideford, pupils can attend Bideford College which has a sixth form. The Atlantic Academy at Bucks Mills is a secondary free school. For A-levels, vocational and further education, St Petroc’s College has three campuses in North and Mid-Devon, two of which are in Barnstaple, less than 10 miles away.

Entertaining the family.

No problem in the summer! You’ve got the fabulous beaches of Westward Ho! and Instow and plenty of holiday attractions to make the most of, a very short drive away. As well as their sandy beaches, Westward Ho! has a great name for water sports and Instow for sailing. If you wanted to stay in the town, there’s a lovely open-air pool for young children in Victoria Park. Appledore is a lovely historic fishing village with a character of its own and live music in the pubs for an evening out. You can get active with the Bideford Rugby Football Club and the Bideford Association Football Club, while 1610 Torridge Pool is the local leisure centre.