Bickleigh, Tiverton, Devon
Bickleigh straddles the main road between Tiverton and Exeter and off the main route, it’s a very pretty and peaceful village where you might decide to take a wander round if you’re visiting Bickleigh Mill or stopping for lunch at The Fisherman’s Cot. What you’ll find is narrow lanes lined with charming thatched cottages, some standing on the banks of the River Exe, a medieval church and a 14th century bridge, said to be haunted by the ghost of a former Lord of the Manor who was killed in a duel and dispatched into the river; every year at midnight on mid-summer’s day he rides a charger over the bridge, in full armour with his head held under his arm. It must be a gruesome sight!
Family fun can be had at the Devon Railway Centre, or if you like history, you can visit Bickleigh Castle for a guided tour on one of its open days between April and October. Spanning 600 years, the castle was visited by Queen Henrietta Maria, Princess Katherine Plantagenet and it’s rumoured, a young Anne Boleyn. Bickleigh Mill has a working water wheel, a restaurant, shops to browse, and picturesque gardens with resident peacocks – a lovely spot for a cream tea.
All information correct at the time of writing