The Beeches Hotel

Barnstaple - North Devon's Metropolis

by johngayton

"Perhaps Not The Most Photogenic Of Towns.........."

...........but definitely one of the most useful.

Barnstaple is unopposed as North Devon's County Town with its understated character, which to the casual visitor may not be immediately obvious and perhaps to those that live there is taken for granted, but character it definitely does have.

Off and on over the course of the past 10 or 11 years I have found myself working up in North Devon, or sometimes just visiting, and it is always Barnstaple which I pass through, getting the train from Exeter and then whatever other mode of transport from there - the bus services being pretty good for such a rural area. Whenever I have been working up here it is Barnstaple that I need to visit to do my proper shopping, the village shops where I have worked not quite able to fulfill every requirement, to visit the bank if anything needs to be sorted out in person, or just for a day out.

This is when the town comes into its own, it has everything - there are branches of major chain stores (albeit smaller scale versions), outlets of National pub and restaurant chains (Weatherspoons and Whimpy spring to mind), all the major banks are represented and the High Street has outlets of several other more specialist retail groups, though NO Starbucks (Well, Barnstaple doesn't claim city status!). Yet whilst a significant majority of the Nationals have their representatives here, what you will find is that almost every other retail outlet is in fact an independent or part of a smaller (more local) group. Then add into that the Pannier Market and its adjacent Butcher's Row, and the punctuation of small pubs, cafes and restaurants, The Theatre Royal and all the other bits and bobs which make for an interesting town and the place becomes quite unique.

"Today's Shopping List:"

Books - enough reading to see me over the next month or so.
Bank - change PIN on new card, get some cash.
Booze - drop in for a beer somewhere.

Then some non-essentials;

Toiletries
New alarm clock
Back-up battery for good camera
Socks
Insoles
Photograph for Cliff Railway pass
3-way electric adaptor

Other to do things;

Phone calls - seeing as I haven't got a phone line, nor mobile access at the moment
Lunch

Time available: Arrive Barnstaple 1.30 ish, leave 4.40.

Time Spent:

Shopping, Bank & Etc.: 45 mins
Lunch: 45 mins
Pubs: 1hr 40 mins

It's great having the bus stop immediately outside the pub door:)))

Which is the thing about small towns, nothing is more than a few minutes walk away.