I will be in north Devon for the next 2 weeks. My local travel arranger, without any prompting on my part, has booked me a room for the weekend at Woolacombe. It sounds nice, but I'm not sure April is the right time for a beach weekend in England.

Anyone ever been there? I have no transportation on my own, so I am stuck there, unless I ask her to cancel. Will I be bored out of my skull?

The area in Tavistock (not that far away) is very nice, but without a car I'm not sure how enjoyable this trip will be if you're only in Woolacombe for 2 weeks. Spring seems late coming to the UK this year. I don't know the area up there in north Devon so I can't be too helpful.

Writing as a Brit, albeit a long-term expat, I 'm not sure anytime of year is the right time for a beach weekend in England!! The sea is way too cold for my liking, even in the height of summer. I am, however, very familiar with the entire south-west of England - particularly north Devon, north Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset.

However, you're correct in one regard, it is nice. Late April/early May (after the Easter weekend crowds have dispersed) is often a delightful time of year to be there.

May I recommend the following web-site to discover more about the area:

http://www.discoverdevon.com/

What I am struggling to comprehend is how you are going to manage for transportation without a car. Apart from the occasional bus service or a taxi there is no viable alternative means of transport. If nothing else the weekend will give you an opportunity to unwind. Don't forget to check out a local pub or two.

During the week, my hotel is 2 blocks from the plant. I have a driver to and from the airport and a driver to and from Woolacombe. I enjoy walking and pubs. Last night I shared a couple pints with a guy 8 months out of prison at one of the locals. Quite the experience. Tonight I'll probably just stick to walking and a beer back at the hotel.

Woolacombe has an enormous beach....the town itself isn't much. If your driver is flexible then you could go to a few other things.

-Braunton Burrows - a large sand dune area with good walking. Cold and a bit windy though.
-Lee Bay - A narrow little valley that leads down to a beach.

If you an get further away then there is a rather neat outdoor miniature railway at Blackmoor Gate, the Exmoor Valley Railway. It is about a mile long and takes 10minutes or so to go round, great if you love the smell of steam trains! I used to love it when I was 8

Nothing is groundbreaking or awesome which is about par for North Devon but better than nothing!

Well, I spent the weekend at Woolacombe Bay Hotel and enjoyed the experience. I had a balcony overlooking the ocean that was a delightful place to sit in the sun and read the paper. My rate included breakfast and dinner. The service was spotty but the food was generally good. I took advantage of the menu and tried some foods that I wouldn't have found on a menu back in the US, including skate wing.

I spent a good part of Saturday walking, first on the coastal path, then up the hill over towards Mortehoe. I passed the early morning watching a large surfing competition and late afternoon drinking real ale (Tribute) and watching rugby at a local pub. I even found time to get my laundry done.

Downsides: Would have been boring after 2 days. Paper thin walls at the hotel. The lift was as old as my grandfather and broke down several times - and you couldn't cross the 2nd floor without climbing a couple half flights of stairs. The waitstaff needs some training. They kept taking my silverware every time they delivered a new course.

I'm glad I went. I'm sure it beat spending the weekend in Barnstaple. I'm not sure that would have been the case if the weather hadn't been decent.

Glad you had a good time - it seems like you made pretty much the best of the entertainment opportunities in Woolacombe! - and it is nice when someone takes the time to enjoy local life and culture for what it is.

If you're still in north Devon this week, Barnstaple has train line that takes you through some pretty places on the way down to Exeter. Alternatively, there are some guided tours of nearby Exmoor national park available - although these may leave from south Devon, the TIC in Woolcombe should be able to provide info.

After 3 weeks (minus Easter) away from home, I am headed back Saturday. However, a co-worker who arrived this week has also been booked at the Woolacombe Bay Hotel for this coming weekend. If it stays rainy and cold, he can always head back to Barnstaple and a train ride sounds interesting to him. Like me, he also needs to get the laundry done and I do picture him sitting in the pub rather than the launderette. At least we've found plenty of those here!

What, pubs or launderettes?

I did mean pubs. I haven't seen a lauderette in Barnstaple, having kept to the main roads in the commerical district in my walks. I guess the advantage of a weekend in as small a place as Woolacombe was how easy it was to find the lone launderette - all of 4 washers and 4 dryers.

Funny, there was a combination pub/launderette I used to frequent years ago back in Massachusetts before we had our own washer and dryer. The all-purpose name over the door was SUDS. It's amazing how many husbands are willing to do the washing when you offer beer and sports on tv.

What a brilliant idea ^