Medieval Towns of England - Bideford, Barnstaple and Dartmoor

The South-West corner of England looks like a long finger pointing across the Atlantic, this is Cornwall and Devon. Isolated geographically, the region, none the less, has a history stretching back into the mists of time often independent from what went on the alleged capital. Phoenicians traded with the tin miners of North Cornwall 3000 years ago, while Dartmoor in central Devon contains remains from the late Neolithic and early Bronze Ages. Barnstaple, or nearby Bideford (9 miles to the west), are ideal towns to stay in to savor the delights of the surrounding area. The rail journey, from Paddington Station, London is three and a half hours with 5 trains a day for the remarkable fare of $38. Less than 200 miles distance, as long as you can deal with driving on the left, a leisurely drive is an excellent alternative. A well-planned route would take you past such sights as Stonehenge and Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill.

Barnstaple is a small town of just over 30,000 people, having swallowed several local villages. Traditionally the market town of the region it claims to be the oldest borough in England. The name derives from the its position as a licensed 'staple port' in the Middle Ages, meaning that it could export one of the staple commodities, in this case wool; while the Barn prefix comes from the Roman Barum. At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the first complete English census and survey, it was so important that it had it's own mint. Built at the lowest fordable place on the River Taw it made an excellent port. It's status as a market town continues today. Pannier Market, a glass roof on iron pillars, is longer than a football field. Built in 1855 it is still enormously popular; situated on Butcher's Row across from a row of 10 shops (only two are butchers) with pilasters of Bath stone.
Bideford, on the River Torridge, is another delightful, historic town. The Long Bridge, 24 spans, was built in the 13th century and in Elizabethan times the port was the third busiest in England, primarily due to its western position. Sir Walter Raleigh shipped tobacco there, although he was not the first, Columbus had already introduced it to Europe. In 1588 the Spanish Armada set sail, a vast flotilla from the greatest sea-faring nation of that time, it's aim was to defeat Britain. A strong wind blew the fleet up the North Sea, watched with grave trepidation by the people on shore. North of Scotland the Armada was destroyed by a violent storm and the survivors limped down the west coast, some to be driven ashore at Bideford. The marooned mariners intermingled with locals and today many from Bideford claim Spanish heritage. Charles Kingsley wrote 'Westward Ho!' here, probably looking out across the Atlantic. So popular did the book become that a seaside village, with wonderful sands, was built with the same name, the only place in England to have an exclamation point after it's name!

To the south is Dartmoor, a windswept, seemingly desolate, granite upland. It covers nearly 400 square miles with numerous hills, known as tors, the highest being 2,037 feet. Made famous by Conan Doyle in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' Sherlock Holmes paints an evocative picture of gloom and danger. Walking across the moor is akin to stepping into pre-history or an alien landscape (much of 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' was filmed here). Settled at a time when the climate was warmer and trees covered the moor, there are many standing stones, kistvaens (burial chambers), stone circles, cairns and rows, most from the bronze age; there are an estimated 5000 hut circles, indicating a high population. As the trees were cleared and burnt so the population disseminated and by Roman times it was largely deserted. In the Middle Ages hardy shepherds drifted back up on the moor and numerous legends, such as the headless horseman or the pack of ghostly hounds, sprang up around Jays Grave, Bowermans Nose and Childes Tomb. Tin has been mined for at least 2000 years here and again it is interesting to visit the 12th century mines.