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Bideford Tourist Information Childrens Adventure Parks Fishing North Devon UK
Bideford isn't the picture postcard village of Clovelly, but it is the perfect base and area for both Devon family holiday entertainment and for North Devon fishing, particularly mackeral. Clovelly fisherman sell there fish just north of Bideford at Appledore Quay. Fishing is big round here, with a number of fishing expeditions offered and lots of local fishing shops. Bideford, like Clovelly, gets a mention in Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley.
The Bideford area is well served for family entertainment, particularly the indoor playground area called Ewetopia! at the Big Sheep Family fun complex. There's a little passenger ferry here as well for pleasure boat trips which sails across the Torridge estuary to Instow, which has a great family sandy beach area. The beach at Westward Ho! nearby is also great for families and much gentler wave wise than Croyde. The nearby Gnome Reserve and the Milky Way Theme Park offer further entertainment for families.
Bideford Tourist Information
Bideford Quay's history is long, dating back to about 1619. It was once a vital port and you can see marks of previous bustling times in the buildings around the quay. There is still a superb Pannier Market here at Bideford every Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8am-2pm in the Market Place and Butchers Row area. A standard market runs here every day as well! Pannier Markets are so called after the Wicker baskets or panniers used by farmers wives to carry their wares to market.
Bideford's original old medieval bridge - Long Bridge - which crossed the Torridge unfortunately collapsed in 1968 but it's been carefully restored to it's original glory with it's 24 arches. The original wood bridge here served as a huge pack horse bridge and dated back to 1280. It was rebuilt in stone in the 16th century. It is thought that the original wooden bridge had a chapel at each end.
Burton Art Gallery & Museum, Kingsley Road, Bideford. Tel: 01237 471455. Admission is Free, open from Nov-Easter from 10am-4pm, Tues-Sat, 2-4pm Sun. From Easter to October the gallery is open from 10am-5pm Tues-Sat, 2-5pm Sundays.
Bideford Pannier Market, Market Place, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2DR. Tel: 01237 478777
Family Theme Parks North Devon
Welcome to Bideford, on the North Devon coast - the land of family fun adventure playgrounds! There are two popular theme parks in the area, The Big Sheep and The Milky Way! Starting with the Milky Way Adventure Park, it's kids magic. Whoopee, Westward Ho! might well have it's own exclamation mark, but what about this MIlky Way theme park!!!!! Rides galore, to suit a cross-section of ages from funfair style dodgems and slides to an under fives fantasty farm area. Various sections of this family fun theme park are 'themed', with a space link of course. Check out the Space Adventure section for flying space ships, or check out the Clone Zone for an exploration of the Alien Mother ship - eek! There's some good advice on confronting aliens in this section, ""Aliens are generally harmless but are very nosey, if they come too close a loud scream will send them back to their dark holes. Remember your voice is your friend - use it!"" All great fun!
For another day of Devon family fun check out The Big Sheep. This theme park has a huge and popular indoor play area for kids called 'Ewetopia'. There's no upper age limit here, so all the family can join in. Wot you got? Well, climbing areas, whirly slides, and a two tier fast food restaurant which can seat upto 250 people. Ewetopia can be hired for large groups or corporate events you can bring the kids along to! It's perfect for Christmas Parties and Birthdays. And what about those sheep shows as well, with sheep racing! There's shepherding demonstrations as well with sheep dogs, all weather permitting and putting the welfare of the animals first. There's a sheepy shop on-site as well - fantastic, plus food outlets and a farmers market. Check their weblink to the right for more details.
The Milky Way has lots of facilities including a pets corner, two great cafes, an 18 hole mini golf course, a tea garden and outdoor childrens play area and golf nets! Check out their web link to the right for more details, and for prices and opening times! A superb North Devon family fun day out. The Milky Way Adventure Park, Clovelly, Bideford, EX39 5RY. Tel:01237 431 255.
The Big Sheep, Abbotsham, Bideford, North Devon, EX39 5AP. Tel: 01237 472366.
More Bideford Family Holiday Fun
Atlantic Village, Clovelly Road, Bideford. Tel: 01237 422544. For more North Devon family fund check out the excellent discount shopping centre at Atlantic Village. There's also another family theme park adjacent - Discovery Island family adventure park.
Bideford Railway Museum, The Old Station, East-the-Water, Bideford. Tel: 01237 423585. A superb little railway museum with a replica signal box holding fascinating artefacts and displays of local railway interest. There are vehicles outside too, on a re-laid length of track. You can also find out more about the nearby Tarka Trail, close to the museum and even pop off to explore a bit of it!
Looking for some great greenspace in Bideford? Check out Tapeley Park, Instow, nr Bideford. Tel: 01271 342371/860528. Here you'll find 35 acres of gardens which include a glorious Italian terrace garden, walled kitchen garden and woodland walks to the lakes. There's also a A labyrinth accessible via a new walk. The kids will love it!
Bideford Tourist Information Centre
Bideford TIC, Victoria Park, The Quay, Bideford. Tel: 01237 477676.
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