• Ilfracombe and North Devon

    Attractions and Places to Eat and Drink.

    These are some of our favourite things to do in and around Ilfracombe:

    Natural Beauty:

    Tunnels Beaches - This was a firm favourite with our littluns

    RHS Rosemoor - Nestled in a Devon valley, Rosemoor blends formal and informal plantings to magical effect.
    Woolacombe - Superb Golden Beach
    Croyde - The Best Surf Beach In North Devon
    Exmoor - Home of the Famous Ponies and Spectacular Scenery
    Lundy - This Daytrip is a must, from Ilfracombe Harbour.
    North Devons Biosphere Reserve - Learn more about North Devons Biosphere Reserve

    Kids/Big Kids:

    Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur park - A great day out for all
    The Milky Way - Great rides!
    The Big Sheep - Probably the country's only theme park based on sheep!

    Activities:

    Blakewell Fish Farm - A firm favourite, you can feed the fish and buy superb smoked trout and other local produce.

    Coasteering - Coasteering is an adventure activity that includes short sections of traversing around sea cliffs close to the water as well as short swims and lots of jumps from the cliffs into the sea. Jumps can be from as low as one foot up to 20 feet!

    Exmoor National Park Walks - A guide to some of the best walks in Exmoor that includes free GPS trails for each hike.
    Golf - this area is renowned for its golf courses.

    Ilfracombe Aquarium - Always a hit with the kids, the local aquarium is packed with information on the local sea creatures and has displays and a touch pool to get right up close to our sea dwelling friends.

    Ilfracombe Princess - Fantastic short coastal excursions

    Ilfracombe Sea Safari - experience a fun ride, adventure and education amongst the natural beauty of the North Devon Coast.

    Keypitts Stables and Quads - This is where we are learning to ride horses, they have lessons and rides for all levels.

    Mobile massage therapy - Spa space will visit the house for individuals or groups of friends.

    North Devon Shooting Ground - Family friendly, they welcome all levels and abilities, clay pigeon shooting near Ilfracombe.

    North Devon Wake Park - North Devon Wake Park boasts a stunning lake with all the trimmings. It doesn't matter if you have never wakeboarded before, they will get you started.

    Survival Paintball And Airsoft - A 35 minute drive, a great full day out for the more energetic amongst you

    Sea Kayaking at Lundy - Great Adventure

    Tarka Trail Bike Hire - Time to get active along the mainly flat Tarka Trail
    Torrs walk to Lee and more - there are many superb walks straight from our front door

    Watermouth Castle -Watermouth Family Theme Park & Castle - one of the West Country's premier family tourist attractions. Our kids loved this place!

    Surfing:

    There are plenty of places to surf for the beginner right up to the most advanced professional at - Woolacombe, Combesgate, Croyde, Saunton, Putsborough and Westward ho!
    Nick Thorn Surf School - Nick Thorn Surf Coaching is a Putsborough based surf school offering Level 4 Master Surf Coach surf sessions for beginners, intermediate and advanced surf development. The sessions are fun and safe for all people from 6-80 years of age. They also offer Stand Up Paddle boarding, Coasteering, Junior Lifeguard and Lifeguard training specific sessions.
    Magic seaweed Woolacombe website

    Cultural:

    Broomhill art centre - Lots of sculpture plus a great restaurant and Jazz
    Landmark Theatre - Our local Theatre a short walk away.
    Pleasuredome Theatre Company - Open air theatre at the stunning valley of the rocks Lynton.
    Plough Arts Centre - Music, Cinema, Drama, its all here

    Restaurants:

    There are some superb restaurants to discover in and around Ilfracombe all personally sampled by your intrepid hosts for research purposes obviously!

    Some of our favourites alphabetically are:

     

    The Antidote - Fantastic wine bar with superb food right here in town! winners of a Michelin bib gourmand

    Blue Groove - Great Bistro menu situated in the surf town of Croyde.

    Chocolate Emporium - Our very own bespoke chocolate shop.

    Emperors Court - Our favourite quality Chinese restaurant on the high street.

    Giovanni & Lucas - Large family run Italian restaurant near the seafront.

    Ilfracombe Tandoori - Very local Bangladeshi/Indian.

    Kentisbury Grange - The Coach house Restaurant. Just the job for a fabulous special occasion at surprisingly reasonable prices.

    Lyn Bay Fish and chips - Amazing fish and chips every time from these guys, they even deliver!

    New Coast Kitchen - At the heart of New Coast Kitchen is their passion for great flavours and the highest quality ingredients.

    The menu will change with the season.

    Noel Corston - Fine dining in Woolacombe (book ahead).

    Settantanove - Marvellous fresh pizzas and mediterranean food made by our good friend Omar.

    71 - Tasty Modern European great value.

    Siam Bistro - Our closest and best Thai Restaurant in Braunton 15 mins by car.

    Slice of Devon - Take away pizza from the Quay. Because you can never have enough Pizza in my opinion

    Spice Lounge - At the bottom of our road, Indian takeaway and restaurant named as one of Britains best by the top 100 curry restaurants guide.

    SQ - Traditional sumptuous restaurant in Braunton with a superb bar.

    Squires - Superb fish and chip restaurant in Braunton, a favourite of Damien Hirst and John Major.

    Take Thyme - Good fish, local meats, traditional atmosphere, what could be better?

    Waterside Diner - A hidden gem with a lovely view that we discovered whilst walking along the Tarka trail to Barnstaple.

    Coffee:

    Annie and the Flint - Wonderful coffee and excellent for gluten free (and non gluten free) treats.

    Costa Coffee - You May have heard of these, this new store is a fabulous addition to the high street.

    Hele Cornmill and Tearoom - Hele Corn Mill is a working water mill and museum in Hele, near Ilfracombe, North Devon. Winners of the Devon Life magazine Best Tea Room award!

    The PortHole - A fabulous beachside café in association with The National Trust, Marine Drive, Woolacombe, stunning views and fabulous food.

    Stacc - Stacc make high end, cakes, patisserie & coffee made with uber fresh local ingredients baked and served in house, also take away and special orders.

    Storm in a teacup - All aboard! For a tempting treat, a scrumptious sandwich and a thirst quenching cuppa in the famous boat cafe, Storm in a Teacup. Located on picturesque Watermouth harbour between Ilfracombe and Berrynarbor/ Combe Martin

    Pubs and bars:

    Admiral Collingwood Wetherspoons - A spectacular award winning design with a lovely sea view terrace and the usual great prices on a wide range of food and drinks, very popular with visiting families.

    Bar Electric - Bar Electric is an independent café, bar and restaurant boasting fantastic views from the sun terrace of the world renowned beaches of Woolacombe in North Devon.The bar has a relaxed atmosphere accentuated by funky décor and furniture, great music, surf movies on loop.

    The Depot - Mullacott Cross, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Tacos, Burgers and wood fired Pizzas

    George and Dragon - Traditional pub on Fore Street with great pub food and often a quiz on Tuesdays.

    Grampus - A spectacular cliff top walk from the Elmfield takes you to the Grampus in Lee Bay, check listings for traditional live music and open mic nights.

    The Hip and Pistol - Traditional and vegan food, Big screen Sports.

    Hunters Inn - Great walks should always end up at a great pub and the Hunters Inn is just such a pub with a superb Pub Menu

    The Kings Arms - Re-opened and revived from imminent extinction in 2010, The Kings Arms is, (and loves being) back in it’s rightful place at the very heart of the vibrant community of Georgeham, North Devon. They are all about quality of food, drinks and most importantly hospitality.

    Pyne Arms -This is a superb country pub with a highly recommended (by us!), Sunday dinner.

    The Red Barn - Large surf inspired bar in Woolacombe with superb sea views and a great basic menu.

    The Rock Inn Georgeham - Superb Gastro Pub about 15 minutes drive.

    The Thatched Inn - Traditional pub with great food situated on the road out of Ilfracombe towards Combe Martin, superb Sunday dinners and lovely garden and terrace in the summer (our local).

    Catering:

    We have some wonderful caterers in town who can handle parties of any size and who have great feedback from previous guests.

     

    Relish Bar and Bistro – Extensive outside catering experience

    Seadog - North Devon produce with a world flavour. Wedding, Event and Bespoke dining in Devon and beyond

    Tommy g - With over 15 years experience in the catering trade, Tommy G's Catering & Events offers bespoke menu design for all Weddings, parties, functions & Events.

     

    Bar Supplies

     

    GT Ales - Superb ales either by the bottle or in the barrel, delivered to your very own bar

    Guests in the past have also used:

    Combe Brewing Company      

    Wizard Brewing Company   

    Madrigal Brewing Company   

    Food News for North Devon:

    A Taste of The West - A great website for foodie adventurers
    Food Magazine - for local Foodie News
    Sharpham Wines - Fantastic local wines and cheeses

    Local Wedding Information:

    The Elmfield is a perfect venue for wedding accommodation. Hiring the whole house gives you complete flexibility over your day.

     

    When you hire the Elmfield as your wedding accommodation you have complete freedom in how you choose to cater for your guests. We are more than happy to help you plan your day and put you in touch with excellent local suppliers or you can go full self catering

     

    Some Wedding Essentials:

    Dejeuny Flowers - Jane Fultons wonderful floral creations are very popular with our brides

    Jo Kift Makeup - Beautiful wedding makeup and hair from Jo Kift

    Tunnels beaches - An amazing wedding venue, featured often on TV has to be seen to be believed

    Sweet William Flowers - Another great florist from Ilfracombe

    Indigo Perspective - Jon Malyn Photographer, responsible for many of our website pictures

    Twisty Focus - Mike Atkinson Photography Barnstaple

    Shine - Hair and Make-up Ilfracombe (Rosie and team)

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