Shops
Downe Cottages is one mile from Hartland Village.
Hartland is a real village with the sort of community and spirit long abandoned by most of England, Hartland is what an English village was fifty years ago.
There is a lovely circular walk to Hartland from Downe that takes you to the village through the picturesque Vale and back up through a wooded hillside by Cheristow to Downe. The walk takes a lazy half- hour there and a lazy half-hour back. The footpath through the wooded Vale runs beside a small river before leading you into the centre of Hartland. Beware; the walk can be very muddy after heavy rain.
In Hartland there is a small grocery shop along Fore Street (The Pop In). The Pop In supplies groceries, vegetables, fresh bread and pies, frozen meats from nearby farms, excellent local cheeses, freshly baked cakes and a variety of wines and alcoholic drinks. It also offers a useful cash back service and daily newspapers can be bought there. The Pop In is open from 8.00 a.m. until 7.30 p.m. every day and from 8.30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays (closing between 1.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. on Sundays).
Hartland also has a Post Office Local on the High Street, open from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. – 7.30 p.m. Sundays, selling freshly baked bread, local eggs, groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables, off licence, tobacco, sweets, cards, daily and Sunday newspapers, fresh homemade cakes etc. It is possible to order your newspaper at the Post Office if you are staying for a few days. In addition of course there is the Post Office within the shop and it provides outstanding service.
Springfield Pottery is just off Fore Street. It is run by Philip and Frannie Leach. Philip is a grandson of Bernard Leach, the doyen of Twentieth Century English potters and Frannie is a American potter in her own right. To appreciate the couples’ standing as potters do go on-line and research their pottery and their past exhbitions, They make earthenware pottery hand-made from local clays. Their pottery is exceptional and very collectable. Lynda and I love the pottery and various pieces can be found in the cottages and in Downe House which is our home.,
Also on Fore Street is Calf Street Pottery which is owned by Sarah Lander. Sarah has worked as a potter in Hartland for over thirty years and has a delightful showroom just to the side of The Pop In. Again we are fans of Sarah’s pottery and the cottages also contain some of her work.
Bob Seymour is a talented photographer. and he has a studio at the start of Fore Street. Some of his photographs of objects found on the beach are remarkable and take on the shape and mood of abstract paintings. In addition he has a number of landscapes taken on the Hartland Peninsula.
Merlyn Chesterman is a painter and woodblock printmaker who has a tiny studio at No.2, Harton Manor just off the Square in Hartland. We strongly recommend you visit her website to see some examples of her work before calling upon her in her studio.
Three times a year (Easter, Summer and Autumn) the Hartland Arts and Crafts Society holds a ‘Craft Fayre’ in The Parish Hall just off The Square in Hartland. Well worth a visit if it’s on while you are staying at Downe.
On the corner of the Square in the centre of Hartland is The Old Bakery Coffee Shop which provides light breakfasts, lunches, cream teas and homemade cakes and excellent coffee. A great asset to the village, the Old Bakery Coffee Shop is open daily and has seating both inside and out.
Stoke Church is a landmark that gives a bearing to many a walker as they travel around Hartland Point. The tall tower is the reason why the church is known as ‘The Cathedral of North Devon’. The rood screen in the church is magnificent and provides a stunning backcloth to the small concerts and musical evenings that are regularly held in the church.
The other outstanding asset of Hartland is the Hartland Abbey,located a few hundred yards from Downe.
Religious Services
Church of England
St. Nectan’s in Stoke is the nearest church and holds services every Sunday at 11.00 a.m. There is also a St. Nectan’s in Welcombe that holds services every Sunday at 9.00 am. Communion is also given at the Catholic Church in Hartland on Sunday at 8.00 a.m.
Methodist
There is the Hartland Methodist Chapel at the top of Fore Street in Hartland that holds services every Sunday. Phone 01237 441271 for times.
Public Transport
Hartland has an infrequent bus service seven days a week that runs from Northgate Green in Hartland to Bude in one direction and to both Bideford and Barnstaple in the other.
It is possible to take a train from Barnstaple to Exeter. The nearest mainline station is Tiverton (which is an hour’s drive away) and it is possible to organize a taxi to collect guests from Tiverton.
Music in Hartland
Hartland has two major musical groups: the Hartland Brass Band and the Hartland Chamber Orchestra. If your visit coincides with one of their concerts given by the Brass Band or the Chamber Orchestra we do recommend that you take the opportunity to attend even if the programme is slightly outside your normal tastes.
The Brass Band frequently performs on Hartland Quay on Sunday evenings during the summer.
A lovely sunset makes them quite perfect evenings. Performances in the Square in Hartland after the Carnival or at Christmas can also be delightful.
The Chamber Orchestra’s concerts in Stoke church are often lovely evenings. You can experience the orchestral music of Haydn, Bach, Beethoven.
Each year Hartland hosts a music festival called ‘One Week in Summer’. It takes place in mid to late July and is a celebration of music in Hartland. The concerts generally take place in St Nectan’s Church in Stoke but occasionally take place in Hartland Abbey.
The Jazz Concert is usually excellent.