Lapford

Remarkably, this small community still has its own railway station. Passenger numbers have been much augmented since British Rail’s rather prosaic Exeter to Barnstaple route was re-christened as the Tarka Line. The original name may have been lacklustre but the 39-mile journey itself has always been delightful as it winds slowly along the gentle river valleys of the Yeo and the Taw.

Lapford stands high above the River Yeo, its hilltop church a famous local landmark for generations: “when yew sees Lapford church yew knaws where yew’m be”. It’s well worth a visit since the 15th-century rood screen inside is regarded as one of the most exquisitely fashioned in the country. There are five bands of the most delicate carving at the top and above them rise modern figures of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph), surmounted by the original ornamental ceiling with its carved angels gazing down from the nave roof.