Bampton, Devon
There's something rather special about Bampton; despite moving with the times as we all must, this small country town in Devon still retains a huge amount of charm, partly due to the fact that the town centre is a conservation area with almost 100 listed buildings, which goes to show how attractive it is. The wide main street is lined with a mix of town houses, centuries old cottages and local businesses; there are two local shops, a very good bakers, a butchers, a greengrocers, a wine merchants and so on, so as you can imagine, the community is a thriving one.
Have a stroll around, potter off round the back streets, go to the Norman Motte and Bailey castle, which has to be one of the best preserved of its kind in the county, with wonderful views over the town. Watch the River Batherm wind its way beneath the bridge then go to The Swan for lunch, or sit in the garden at Bridge House and tuck into a piece of homemade cake. If you're here on the last Thursday in October you can be a part of the Bampton Charter Fair when the streets come alive with stalls selling local food and crafts and there are workshops, demonstrations, music and livestock to see. All exciting stuff in this neck of the woods!
Bampton is close to Exmoor National Park and just 6 miles from Tiverton.
All information correct at the time of writing