The sheltered seaside cove of Combe Martin nestles on the edge of Exmoor National Park, on the spectacular Atlantic Coast of North Devon. The combe, or wooded valley as the name implies, stretches inland some two miles from the small sheltered beach, and the main street which follows it, is said therefore to be the longest 'High Street' in England.
Combe Martin is a walkers and horse riders paradise, offering magnificent views of the rugged coastline. With it’s sheltered and safe cove, Combe Martin is also the ideal place for a family holiday.
For the young at heart, and perhaps those that are old enough to remember, there is the intriguing Wildlife and Dinosaur Park to visit, where life-size animatronic dinosaurs wait to great you, alongside the more conventional living and breathing species of the current day animal world.
No visit to Combe Martin would be complete without a trip the famous Pack of Cards Inn. This unusual pub was built as a result of the good fortunes of a local gambler named George Ley, who after a particularly good win, literally had it constructed to represent a pack of cards. The pub has four floors, representing the four suites, each floor has thirteen doors to represent the thirteen cards in a suite, and finally the pub's fifty two windows represent the fifty two cards in a pack.
The town of Combe Martin hosts various events throughout the year, but probably the most famous is the Hobby Horse Procession, or chase , which dates back to pagan times, but is still re-enacted every year to this day. Just fifteen minutes drive from Barnstaple, Combe Martin offers an friendly air of olde worlde magic and nostalgia, laced with a dash of Twenty-first Century Hollywood for good measure, and as such represents an ideal place for the family holiday.
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