Bideford

Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district.

The River Torridge is spanned at Bideford by the 13th century Long Bridge, which has 24 arches all of different sizes.

In the 16th century Bideford was Britain's third largest port. It was rumoured that Sir Walter Raleigh landed his first shipment of tobacco there, although this is a myth, as Raleigh was not, contrary to popular belief, the first to bring tobacco to England. In honour of Raleigh, several roads and a hill have been named after him in Bideford. Today the narrow town centre streets lead down to a tree-lined quay, which bustles with fishing vessels, cargo and pleasure boats. Clay is the principal export loaded onto boats at Bideford. The quay was refurbished, with completion in 2006, to provide flood defence and also to incorporate large fountains and interesting public toilets.

This area of North Devon was home to the author Charles Kingsley, and is where he based his novel Westward Ho!. A small seaside town, named after the book, was built after the book's publication. Westward Ho!, which is the only town in the United Kingdom that officially contains an exclamation mark in its name, is approximately 5 kilometres (3 miles) from Bideford. A statue has been erected in honour of Charles Kingsley by the town park's car park.

Bideford is served by the A39 and A386 trunk roads. The nearest railway station is at Barnstaple 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) away.

A ferry operates between Bideford quay and Lundy, which lies about 35 kilometres (22 miles) away in the Bristol Channel. The same ship also provides evening cruises from Bideford along the River Torridge.

Bus services linking Bideford with other local towns and villages are provided by a number of firms: the main bus companies operating in the area are First Devon and Cornwall, Stagecoach Devon and Beacon Buses. Many services are subsidised by Devon County Council.