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Hartland sits close to some of the most dramatic coastline in the UK. The whole area is designated as of outstanding natural beauty. Much of the coast is in the hands of the National Trust.

From Hartland one can explore the coast west down to Wadebridge, taking in Boscastle, Tintagel, Delabole and Bude on the way. The rest of Cornwall is slightly further away but still within reach.

To the east is Bideford, Westward Ho!, Barnstaple, Ilfracombe and Exmoor National Park.

Hartland Quay

Going inland one can reach the old market towns of mid Devon, places like Holsworthy, Okehampton, Torrington and Launceston (once the seat of power in Cornwall). Even Plymouth on the south coast is reachable, in about an hour and a half. Dartmoor National Park is about an hour away. Within this area of the south west are numerous places of interest, superb walks, several waymarked trails of national significance, lots of country houses, National Trust properties, pubs, village greens and the like. There are some unlikely things - like the Bude Canal, which once linked Bude to the river Tamar and hence Plymouth with its extraordinary systems for raising and lowering barges. There are several golf courses and good beaches.

The area is a bit more spread out than on the south coast with bigger gaps between towns. There is less traffic, less crime and a slower pace of life generally (even by Devon standards - which are famously relaxed). The friendliness and neighbourliness of the area is very striking - its is a little like stepping back in time a few decades.

This is a place to take your leisure seriously.