Nestling alongside the River Torridge, Bideford is more than a resort. It is a market town and a port, too, with an active fishing industry. Cargo ships call in to load and unload and the MS Oldenburg, which plies between Bideford and Lundy Island, is often to be seen tied up by the quayside. Bideford being its port.

First mention in the history books of the Quay was in 1619 when there were beaches at the river's edge. As the ship-building trade boomed, the Quay was developed and there are still marker stones in the pavement as a testament to that reconstruction. Sir Walter Raleigh is believed to have brought his first cargo of tobacco to Bideford and the town soon became one of the largest tobacco trading centres of that period.

Local merchants also imported vast quantities of wool during the reign of Charles 1 and had so great a share of the trade with Newfoundland that, in 1699, they sent out more ships than any other in England apart from London and Topsham. Spanning the Torridge is Bideford's most notable land (or water) mark, the ancient Long Bridge, with its 24 arches. First built in about 1280 as a pack horse bridge, it gave up its wooden origins centuries ago and, in its current metamorphosis, is a sturdy, stone structure.

The original wooden bridge replaced a ford and it is generally believed that this ford was the source of the town's name (by the ford). It was in the 16th century that a genuine attempt to establish the crossing as a monument of permanence was made.

It was rebuilt in stone and widened, thus taking on the shape which is now familiar today. The bridge is built at a slight angle, perhaps to give it added strength to withstand the forces of the tides. History tells us that in the 13th century there was a chapel at each end one to St Mary the Virgin and the other to All Saints.

Bovey Tracey is one of the main gateway towns to Dartmoor, with a number of unique visitor attractions and a good mixture of shops. A pretty cob and Dartmoor-granite built town, situated on the River Bovey it is home to the internationally renowned Guild of Craftsmen, based in a 19th century water mill on the river.

Other local attractions include the House of Marbles glass blowing and visitor centre, Cardew Tea pottery factory and the National Trust’s Parke estate. On alternate Saturday mornings, the town’s Farmers Market sells local produce. Information on all these attractions and much more can be found by contacting the Bovey Tracey Information Centre, Station Road, Bovey Tracey (01626 832047).

Close to Bovey Tracey is Heathfield, which is a substantial residential and significant business area within the Parish. Nearby to Heathfield is Bovey Heathfield, site of a Civil War battle and a haven for rare plants and wildlife, which is now owned and managed by Devon Wildlife Trust.

Bovey Tracey has a long and colourful history dating from the Saxon settlement times and was known as Boffa in about 500AD.

The de Tracey’s were the old lords of the manor, and one of them, Sir William, who had a share in the murder of Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, is said to have built the Parish church (which was dedicated to St Thomas) as a penance for his crime. The unbroken list of vicars dates from 1258.

De Tracey later added his name to the town and is said to have lived in the Manor House in East Street that was built about 1200. In 1260 Henry III granted the town a fair and Market Charter.

A gateway standing a little off the main street is known as Cromwell’s Arch and is a reminder of Bovey Tracey’s historical connection with the English Civil War.