Barnstaple Without a Car

Short answer: Barnstaple is the terminus of the Tarka Line from Exeter, and the Tarka Trail starts right there. The museum, market and town centre are walkable, and buses run to the north coast. It is the best car-free base in north Devon.

The train in

Barnstaple is the end of the Tarka Line from Exeter — a scenic branch line through mid Devon. It is the only way into north Devon by rail.

The trail out

The Tarka Trail starts in Barnstaple and runs flat, paved and traffic-free down the Taw estuary. Hire a bike at the town end and Instow, Bideford and Appledore are all within reach.

On foot in town

• The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon — free, by the Long Bridge.
• The Pannier Market — a huge covered Victorian hall.
• The Long Bridge — medieval, and quieter now traffic uses the bypass.

By bus

Barnstaple is north Devon's bus hub, with services out to the coast — Braunton, Croyde, Ilfracombe and Woolacombe among them. The timetables are the thing to check, particularly out of season.

Bus timetables in Devon thin out sharply from October and differ between summer and winter. Check the operator's current timetable before building a day around a connection, and check the last bus back before you settle in.

What needs a car

Air Extreme at Roundswell and the Muddiford Inn are just out of town. Exmoor is largely car-only.