North Devon – Bideford

Staying at the comfortable Durrant House Hotel Bideford situated just outside the town, there is however a a bus stop right outside the hotel. Entertainment every night.

Durrant House Hotel

Included
Okehampton: The area now occupied by Okehampton has a long history. It is known that Iron Age people lived here before and around AD 0, that before AD 70, following the invasion of Britain by the Emperor Claudius in AD 43, the Romans built a fort (found by aerial photography in 1975) close to what is now Okehampton and also at nearby North Tawton, and that the Saxons had a settlement and a church (now part of a much later building) in the area.
However, it was Baron Baldwin de Brionne , one of the knights of William the Conqueror, who, by building a castle, established the basis for the present town of Okehampton as an important trading and market centre throughout the centuries in this part of Devonshire. Baron de Brionne was William’s Royal Sheriff of Devonshire, and his castle in Okehampton is the only Devon castle listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. The present castle, on the same site, is that rebuilt and considerably enlarged in the early 1300s by Earl Hugh Courtenay, of the powerful Courtenay family of the County. In 1539, its owner, the Marquis of Exeter, was executed by order of King Henry VIII, and it gradually fell into disuse from then onwards.

Day Off in resort

Optional
Dartington Crystal: Visit the famous Dartington Crystal they have been handcrafting their range of English crystal products in our factory in Devon since 1967 – the only major crystal factory in the UK. The Visitors Centre, see and hear the fascinating story of over 40 years of Dartington Crystal then follow the Timeline from 1967 to present day and see how the first pieces of glass were made in our museum section. Watch our talented expert Master Engraving demonstration create award winning works of Art;  You can watch the live demonstration of glass making (extra cost) and try the many hands-on activities they have to offer. Afternoon visit To Barnstaple.