| Hartland is a
wonderful location for people who like walking. The coast path, the Tarka
Trail, and not one but two National Parks are nearby. Devon has lots of
public rights of way which can be used to plan walks - it would take several
lifetimes to do them all.
Hartland is a real community. Its people are welcoming and friendly. The village has a post office, which now handles a full range of banking services, three pubs, a British Legion and a County Primary School. There is a dentist, a vet and a doctors surgery. The doctors surgery is in a newly converted cottage in the town square and does its own prescriptions in house so you don't have anywhere else to go afterwards. The range of shops includes a DIY shop and a fish and chip shop (the latter is in the town square and is of course called the 'Square Chip'!). Hartland has 3 churches (Methodist, Catholic, C of E) the largest being the fine church of St Nectan which is 1 mile away at Stoke next to the old Abbey. There are two repair garages, a thriving coach company, a small printers and a pottery. You can feel that this was once a 'town' rather than a village. The well known 'Small School' offers an alternative to state secondary education and runs a community shop. The magazine 'Resurgence' is published here. An excellent local magazine the 'Hartland Times' is published with an amazing range of stories of local interest. It is not a profit making venture with token editorial content like most local newspapers these days but a superb vehicle for all local news and goings on. Do try to take a look at a copy if you have never seen it before. There are a dozen or so clubs and associations including a Town Band, a choir, a WI and a Hartland Society. The pubs have regular quiz nights and darts matches and the like. There are pleasant walks nearby, including the one to Hartland Abbey featured in our photo gallery. Buses run frequently to Bideford. Supermarkets are easily reached by car (Safeways and 'Normans' in Bideford, Tesco, Sainsbury and M&S in Barnstaple). The weather is warm with bracing winds. Snow is very very rare but you need good outdoor coats to keep the wind out. With a little shelter by way of walls and fences gardens thrive energetically. For extra local info try: Hartland Magnetic Observatory website Info on Golf etc at Hartland Forest
see photos of Hartland village photos of the local area
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St Nectans Church from a ruin on the coast path |
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