Dartington Glass Works also in Torrington has interesting tours of the factory where you can watch the internationally renowned glass being made. There is also an extensive seconds shop.

For members with children, the site provides plenty of activities. For days out, there are several large family theme parks in North Devon including The Milky Way, The Big Sheep and Watermouth Castle.

The beaches are generally very safe but please be careful at Croyde to obey the flags when flying. If you are planning to take the whole day at the beach, then probably one of the nicest for families is Putsborough Sands beyond Croyde.

If you are into walking, there are walks around Umberleigh. There are details in the ‘Walking’ folder in the information room. There are some really good guided walks with the rangers on Exmoor approximately 30mins away. They are detailed in ‘The Exmoor Visitor’ in the Information Room. They are good value and very informative for children.

Cycling on the Tarka Trail is very popular and the closest accesses to our site are Torrington or Barnstaple. Bicycles can be hired at Torrington, Bideford, Yelland and Barnstaple.

The largest local town is Barnstaple, 8 miles to the north. If planning to shop in the centre, it is advisable to use the ‘Park and Ride’ scheme that is based on this side of the town. Another alternative is to catch the train from Umberleigh and walk the short distance from Barnstaple station into the town. Barnstaple centre has large stores such as Marks and Spencer, but Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s are positioned on the outskirts in the direction of Umberleigh. The covered Pannier Market has different markets during the week.

South Molton and Torrington are market towns to the East and West of the site and are more easily accessed than Barnstaple. They both have the usual shops and banks. South Molton has a number of antique shops and a weekly market on Thursdays.