Charming shop featuring local artists. I bought a beverage coaster decorated with hand-stamped…read moremackerel. Love.

Growing up in North Devon means you might miss out on the local museums as they dont seem relevant,…read morebut on a recent trip back I visited the museum in Barnstaple for the first time. It really was eye opening with some fantastic and interesting local history. Contained within the grand building right by the river and long bridge are various artifacts from different periods in north Devon's history. With free entry, very friendly and knowledgeable staff, and a welcoming feel, this is a great museum for locals and holiday makers alike!

This museum is a fascinating place, full of local artifacts including some incredible vases from…read morethe famous Brannams pottery. It also has exhibits from the farming community and fossils found in this area. The museum is free to enter and has a great interactive room for children that will keep them entertained.

Wow, love this place. It's a hidden gem, an enchanted garden. To reach the hotel, you walk up a…read morepath which is flanked with large beautiful sculptures. We were really going to the five times award winning restaurant, Terra Madre (part of the Slow Food network), for their 3 course lunch at £14.95 en route to our destination in North Devon, so did not have time to book ahead. Booking is essential. So we were offered the Bar Menu instead, which was actually a very good choice, 3 home made tapas dishes for £9.95, which consisted of a rather large bowl of piping hot buttersquash soup with two slices of homemade crusty bread, garlic prawns, hake in tomato cassoulet, garlic mushrooms, and Moroccan style lamb casserole. We added a couple of side dishes of mixed salad and homemade sourdough bread and olive oil. What a feast, all so, so delicious too! Fresh and more-ish, yum! With the booked lunch, you get a free ticket for the Sculpture Park, otherwise it is £4.50. After the meal, we had a look at the interesting art gallery cum dining hall. Some lovely pieces of art and paintings which can be bought. There are also tables outside to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere, have a drink or eat al fresco. Will need to return to wander round the Sculpture Park properly, in such a relaxed and beautiful setting.

Broomhill lies in one of the most glorious valleys in North Devon surrounded by hundreds of acres…read moreof woodland and bound by its own stream. The Broomhill Sculpture Park displays one of the largest permanent collections of contemporary art and sculpture in the South West. 300 sculptures by over 60 sculptors are sited in 10 acres of garden that present a wonderful balance between art and nature. This place is quite fantastic and is apparently one of very few art hotels in the UK. During your stay you can not only walk around the gardens and view all of the sculptures, but you can even purchase them afterwards (if you bring a very big chequebook!!). The gardens were a little drab when we visited, (but it was December!!), but I would imagine that during the warmer months they are quite breath taking. An art gallery is situated in the main dining area of the hotel itself and has many many pictures to view and purchase. The place caters for all sort of events such as weddings, large and small parties and corporate events (with its very own corporate facilities). The hotel is also renowned for its many Jazz events held throughout the year. The rooms are very reasonably priced and you get alot for your money. They are very spacious and have everything you need to make your stay very comfortable, with beautiful views over the Devon countryside. The setting is very rural and therefore very quiet and makes for a very relaxing stay and a very quiet nights sleep. The staff are a husband and wife combo (Dutch), and are two of the friendliest people you will ever meet in this business, who could not do enough to help you (especially if you like to drink tea!!). The food is organic and sourced from the local area, which is probably why it tastes absolutely fantastic (the Morroccan food is especially nice). Even if you don't stay at the hotel you should try out its restaurant, which is also very reasonably priced considering the standard. If I was going to be very very fussy then I would have to say that the alcohol is a little pricey, but I suppose it is a hotel after all. Saying that, if you visit their website, you will find that the hotel does do a number of offers to bring the price of staying at the hotel down even further i.e. B&B and reduced price evening meal. A must stop when visiting N. Devon.

The Burton Art Gallery and Museum can be found in Bideford's Victoria Park. You can now also find…read morethe Tourist Information Centre in the gallery as well - giving advice on all tourist things such as hotels, B&B's and tourist attractions. The gallery itself has different exhibitions through out the year including work that local schoolchildren have done. Upstairs is the Museum which gives a really interesting history of Bideford including old pictures which are great to look at if you're a local or a visitor. There is also a section with varoius items of jewellery and other craft works which are for sale. You can also grab a drink and a snack and sit outside on the several table and chairs put out during the nicer weather just outside the gallery, in the park. Well worth a visit for locals and holiday makers!

The Brook Gallery, tucked around the corner from the sea-front at Budleigh Salterton in East Devon,…read moreis an asset hereabouts and, through its wesbite, much further afield too. Concentrating on original prints, it has over the years brought some of the most exciting and distinguished images to this lovely town. I've always found the people at the Brook friendly, informed and committed to their part of the art market. Go there to just look: there's no hard-sell. Go there to buy and I've found the prices reasonable and the works well worth it.

From the owner: Brook Gallery specialises in Original Print, and represents some of the most influential artists in…read morethe UK today. Beautifully presented, collectable artwork that you love to live with, incorporating everything from historical treasures to modern masterpieces.

Well we went in to the plough art centre... We went in for a burger night. I had the KFC burger and…read moredad had the same, grandad had a Louisiana burger so did granny. They gave us nacho crisps with salsa and gwakamoly to start. Then the drinks arrived, I had a tango orange original , dad had a 7 up, grandad had an old Jamaica ginger beer and granny had an apple,mango j2o. Then the burgers arrived. Oh my gosh, they were gone. Best burger ever. I recommend.

A geat cafe, with exhibition space, theatre and a range of art house as well as main stream films…read more Great place to visit if you are around. (And the best food around too!).

If I had the money I'd be visiting this place all of the time! They have a beautiful selection, and…read moreeven manage to make Wind street look tasteful (which is clearly proof that miracles do exist)!

From the owner: Gower Gallery is a wonderful place to visit for art, arty gifts, crafts and ceramics. We also offer…read morea professional framing service all done to artist quality. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and we pride ourselves on having lovely things for every budget. We exhibit originals and prints by R N Banning, Valerie Ganz, Katie Allen, Michelle Scragg and Arwen Banning as well as a host of other Welsh artists.

This is a gorgeous art gallery/shop in Beer, on the Devon coast…read more Beer is a lovely little fishing village, relatively untouched by mass tourism (it's too difficult to access for big bus loads). The pebble beach is idyllic, and you can watch fishing boats coming back with their catch - which they also sell there and then. Back to the gallery: they have 2 outlets in the village, the Steam Gallery and the Marine House. Both display work from local artists, and the quality is very high (so are some prices). We found the most exquisite hand blown glass pieces, which would not be out of place in the most expensive shops in London. Beer itself is worth a visit for its quaint, quiet and authentic atmosphere; and whilst you are there, these two artshops should be on your list.

The Steam Gallery in the pretty East Devon fishing village of Beer is a good place to browse for…read moregifts or that special treat for yourself. The gallery is housed in several rooms on the ground floor of what was once a house. It is the sister gallery to Marine House, which is situated further down the road towards the sea. The Steam Gallery has less traditional paintings than Marine House, although there is plenty on the walls often the emphasis is on sculpture and 3 dimensional work. Last time I visited there was a lot of glass sculpture on display, and there is usually jewellery and pottery too. Original artwork by local artists.