Bideford is a historic port town and parish on the tidal estuary of the River Torridge in the district of Torridge, Devon, England. Its skyline is dominated by the long, arching stone bridge and rows of merchants' houses that hint at a seafaring past - the town was once a busy trading and ship‑building centre with links across the Atlantic, and it also carries some darker seventeenth‑century history in local memory.
Today Bideford works as a market and service centre with a lively independent retail scene, a pannier market, small museums and galleries, and an active arts community centred on the quay. Tourism, river boating and nearby coastal countryside in North Devon help sustain the local economy, while festivals, cafes and volunteer groups give the town a social buzz that balances its quietly preserved historic streets.
Postcode districts covering Bideford
Most populated places nearby
- Barnstaple 7.4 miles
- Bideford 0.6 miles
- Ilfracombe 13.4 miles
Neighbouring places
- Bideford Built-up area 0.6 miles
- Bideford East Ward 0.9 miles
- Bideford North Ward 1 mile
- Bideford South Ward 1.2 miles
- Bideford West Ward 1.2 miles
- Landcross Parish 1.5 miles
- Westleigh Parish 1.6 miles
- Northam Built-up area 1.9 miles
- Littleham Built-up area 2.2 miles
- Abbotsham Built-up area 2.2 miles
- Weare Giffard Parish 2.3 miles
- Westward Ho! Built-up area 2.4 miles
Example postcodes in Bideford
EX39 3TF, EX39 4DY, EX39 2DY, EX39 4EF, EX39 3RN, EX39 3EA, EX39 4AS, EX39 4DR, EX39 4AL … See all
Transport links
- Exeter International Airport 39.2 miles
- Cardiff Airport 45.4 miles
- Barnstaple Railway Station 7.2 miles
- Chapelton Railway Station 7.5 miles
Hotels near Bideford Ad
- The Royal Hotel 3 0.2 miles
- Hunters Lodge 4.2 miles
- The Commodore Hotel 3 2.8 miles
- Seagate 2.7 miles
- Red Lion Hotel 4 8.8 miles
- Saunton Sands Hotel Source Spa and Wellness 4 7.3 miles
- The Park Hotel 4 7.5 miles
- The Barnstaple Hotel 3 7.3 miles
- Durrant House Hotel 3 1.5 miles
- The Imperial Hotel 4 7.5 miles
Schools in Bideford
- Bideford College Secondary
- East-the-Water Community Primary School Primary
- Kingsley School Devon Independent - all ages
- West Croft School Primary
Local points of interest
- Braunton Burrows Hill 5.3 miles
- Saunton Sands Beach 6.1 miles
- Putsborough Beach Beach 9.2 miles
- Mouthmill Beach Beach 10 miles
- Brownsham Wood Historic site 10.8 miles
- Brightley Priory Historic site 19.9 miles