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Okehampton Castle is not actually in Cornwall, it is in Devon, but was such a nice stopping point and such a good place to break our journey, that I decided to include it in this journal. We were driving from Bristol to Padstow and decided to stop here for a couple of hours. It is about 2 hours from Padstow and not too far from the main road as a detour.
The town of Okehampton itself is on the moors, and we joined a long queue of traffic to get to the centre. It is not really very picturesque or worth a visit, but we decided to go to the castle. The castle proved quite difficult to find, there was one sign but this seemed to disappear, so we just improvised and luckily managed to find it.
The castle is run by English Heritage. If you are a member there is no entrance fee, if not then it costs £3.80 for adults and £2.30 for children. This includes the use of an audio guide. The castle is open every day between 10am and 6pm. There is a car park just along a little country road and then a short walk to the castle.
The castle itself is very pretty and looks very dramatic. It was the residence of the Earl of Devon in the 14th century (the family who lived here were one of the most powerful in Devon). It was the largest castle in Devon and is now apparently haunted. The castle was also mentioned in the Domesday Book.
You pick up your audio guide at the entrance, there is an adult and children's commentary. It is interesting and gives an insight into the life of the people who were once residents here. Look out for the grafitti - apparently it was done by French prisoners who were held here during the Naploeonic Wars.
We enjoyed just wandering around the ruins. It is on a hill and you climb further as you explore, so the views around of the Devon countryside and the river rushing below are beautiful.
When we finished exploring the castle, we walked along the riverside - there are some beautiful walks and a very nice picnic area.
From journals
A Week in Cornwall