On the Torridge Estaury, Appledore is an attractive village of narrow streets with brightly coloured house running down to quayside. It is only a short bus ride from bideford, but is a compleely different feel. A “tidal ferry”:http://www.appledoreinstowferry.com/index.php/timetable-fares/timetable runs between Appledore and Instow, across the estuary.
Appledore was originally an important fishing port and ship building centre. Local fishermen still sell catch from their boats and, until recently, it still had a small privately owned indoor shipyard. The “North Devon Maritime Museum”:http://www.northdevonmaritimemuseum.co.uk/ tells the story of Appledore’s maritime heritage. It is in a Georgian building that would have been the home of one of the ship owners,
The “Lifeboat Station”:http://www.appledorelifeboat.org.uk/ is on Irsha Street to the north of the village and has been here since 1825. Their shop is close by.
The Quay was constructed in 1845. Before that the houses on Market Street would have had jetties and wharves at the ends of their gardens. Market Street is the main shopping street and the shops retain their old fashioned bow front windows.
The village still has a maze of narrow lanes, some too narrow for cars. Some still retain their cobbles. Houses are plastered covered and painted in attractive pastel colours.
The tiny terraces near the quay would have been home for the fishermen who depended on salmon, cod and bass for their livelihoods, as well as cockles and mussels collected at low tide. The larger houses would be those of the ship owners. This is a place to be explored on foot.
“St Mary’s Church”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/churches/england/south/southwest/appledore/index.html is at the northern end of the village, overlooking the quay and river. The large graveyard contains the graves of many sailors drowned when attempting to cross the sand bank which forms a barrier to the Torridge estuary at low tide. It is a C19th building with some very good stained glass.
Appledore is now has thriving community of local artists and craftspeople. “Appledore Crafts Company”:http://appledorecraftscompany.co.uk/ Appledore Crafts Company is the place to go for locally produced work.
There is a book festival as well as a carnival involving the local community.
No trip to the seaside is complerte without an ice cream. “Hockings Ice Creams”:http://hockingsicecream.co.uk/ have been making ice cream for eighty years and have a van on the quayside. They are very good too!
