Devon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why">WHY?</h2>



<p>When does a town feel like a village? When it&#8217;s Bampton! Stuffed with independent shops, grocers and eateries, this small charter town is skirted by greenery with a river running through it. Although undoubtedly rural, M5 links (and Somerset) are just a 15 min drive away. While farming families have made a safe haven here for generations, there&#8217;s plenty of new blood moving to the town, making for a close, but never claustrophobic, community who really care about the townspeople, its agricultural history and culture.</p>



<p>The local economy was formerly quarrying, so unsurprisingly much of the period architecture is made from local Bampton stone, while there are a couple of newer estates on the outskirts. The&nbsp;town&nbsp;centre is&nbsp;a&nbsp;conservation&nbsp;area,&nbsp;boasting over&nbsp;100&nbsp;listed&nbsp;buildings.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">EAT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="667" height="500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/07/FullSizeRender-667x500.jpg" alt="The Swan Bampton " class="wp-image-4359" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/07/FullSizeRender-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/07/FullSizeRender-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/07/FullSizeRender-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/07/FullSizeRender.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px" /></figure>



<p>You&#8217;ll find a a couple of traditional pubs, <a href="https://www.thequarrymansrest.com">The Quarryman&#8217;s Rest</a> (for open mic nights, live music and pop-up pizza) and <a href="https://www.exeterinn.pub">The Exeter Inn</a>, a Devonshire longhouse. For artisan coffee and homemade cake, pull up a carver chair at the Muddy Award winning Best Café 2024, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087932914708">Six on Castle</a>. Good news is the much-missed Top 50 Gastropub, <a href="https://theswanbampton.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Swan</a>, is back in business and under new management by a husband and wife team, while <a href="https://speltbampton.co.uk">Spelt</a> and <a href="https://www.bridgehouse-bampton.co.uk">Bridge House</a> are both popular with locals. Dulverton, five miles over the border in Somerset &#8211; a former Muddy Best Place to Live in its own right &#8211; is also good for indie shops and eateries including <a href="https://www.woodsdulverton.co.uk">Woods</a>, a Top 100 Gastropub. </p>



<p>If you&#8217;re planning a recce or need to put up house guests, the chic <a href="https://gingerpeanut.co.uk">Ginger Peanut Townhouse</a> is above Corks &amp; Cru, there are stylish rooms at Six on Castle, plus Bridge House and the award-winning B&amp;B <a href="https://www.heronhousebampton.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heron House</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SHOP</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="960" height="720" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/09/CORKS-CRU.jpg" alt="Corks &amp; Cru Bampton " class="wp-image-69329" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/09/CORKS-CRU.jpg 960w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/09/CORKS-CRU-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/09/CORKS-CRU-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></figure>



<p>When it comes to the weekly shop, there&#8217;s no need to leave town as you have <a href="https://www.bamptonbutchers.co.uk">Bampton Butchers</a> and <a href="https://www.bamptonfresh.com">Bampton Fresh</a>, both really popular with locals for Exmoor meat, frozen goods, refillables and a veg box scheme, plus a deli, grocers and Spar convenience stores. Top up the wine cellar at the Muddy Award winning <a href="https://corksandcru.co.uk">Corks &amp; Cru</a> (above), or drive the seven miles to Tiverton when you need a bigger supermarket shop. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-amp-wellbeing">HEALTH &amp; WELLBEING</h2>



<p>With Exmoor National Park on your doorstep, Mother Nature is the main attraction, making Bampton an oasis for walkers and cyclists, and organised Wellbeing Walks every Monday. You&#8217;re just 45 mins&#8217; drive from beaches on the North Devon coast (including Lynton and Lynmouth) and the golden sands of Exmouth in the South. Plus, there&#8217;s a superb community pharmacy, a great GP practice and at Millennium Green, a community orchard, and all weather multisport pitch, for ball sports and a new pétanque pitch created by Bampton Twinning.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community">COMMUNITY</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.bampton.org.uk/BHVC/index.html">Bampton Heritage Centre</a> is a year-round cultural hub, running regular guided town trails and open days, and taking good-humoured pride in coming up with exciting new annual events.&nbsp;Dating back to 13th century, <a href="https://bampton.org.uk/charterfair/">Bampton Fair </a>is the town&#8217;s autumn highlight, seen as a chance for locals to catch up over artisan street food, buy from local traders, and treat the kids to a funfair. <a href="https://www.bampton.org.uk/wellbeing.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wellbeing Bampton</a> provides intel on local groups, activities and support organisations, with a buddy for anyone wanting help or an introduction to join a new group.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS</h2>



<p>Great days trips include the <a href="https://www.devon.gov.uk/grandwesterncanal/">Great Western Canal</a> with its horse-drawn barge (look out for the kingfishers), and <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/arlington-court-and-the-national-trust-carriage-museum">National Trust Arlington Court &amp; Carriage Museum</a> with its collection of Bridgerton-esque landaus and barouches and <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/knightshayes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Knightshayes</a> with its fabulous gardens and topiary. <a href="https://www.coldharbourmill.org.uk">Coldharbour Mill</a> at Uffculme is a former 18th century steam mill which hosts regular steam days, or take a mooch around <a href="https://www.tivertonmuseum.org.uk">Tiverton Museum</a> to discover mid-Devon life and an old steam train called the Tivvy Bumper. Nearby fun for kids include <a href="https://www.diggerland.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diggerland</a>, <a href="https://www.beartown.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bear Town</a> with its excellent role play opps for toddlers, and <a href="https://www.swlakestrust.org.uk/wimbleball-lake">Wimbleball Lake</a> on Exmoor is good for watersports, walking and dark skies&#8217; gazing.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CULTURE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/10/96291708_2838460602948723_8344495795357089792_n.jpeg" alt="terraced houses in Bampton " class="wp-image-59388" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/10/96291708_2838460602948723_8344495795357089792_n.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/10/96291708_2838460602948723_8344495795357089792_n-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/10/96291708_2838460602948723_8344495795357089792_n-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/10/96291708_2838460602948723_8344495795357089792_n-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2023/10/96291708_2838460602948723_8344495795357089792_n-700x525.jpeg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Join a monthly film night at Riverside Hall, do a creative class in art, lino cut and print making, or tread the boards (or help backstage) with <a href="https://www.bampton.org.uk/players.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bampton Players</a>, an award winning local drama group. At the nearest town, <a href="https://tivertontheatre.com">Tiverton Community Arts Theatre</a> brings in comedy names, notably Jenny Eclair and Angela Barnes and also a Tivoli Cinema. <a href="https://www.tivertoncastle.com">Tiverton&nbsp;Castle</a>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;private&nbsp;home&nbsp;but&nbsp;regularly opens&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;public&nbsp;and a frequent destination for school trips.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE</h2>



<p>According to Rightmove, the average house price is £366,739 with detached properties going for £422,429 and terraces for £277,393 &#8211; 2% down on last year. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/07/haddon-heights-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-68045" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/07/haddon-heights-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/07/haddon-heights-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/07/haddon-heights-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/07/haddon-heights.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Check out these nine new build <a href="https://www.seddons.com/view-property/rps/bam240072/">eco homes</a>&nbsp;at Haddon Heights, on the market for £675,000.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NURSERIES</h2>



<p>The independent <a href="https://blundells.org/prep/a-blundells-education/life-in-our-nursery">Blundell&#8217;s School</a> at Tiverton run a co-ed nursery (as well as a prep and senior school) set in 90 acres, with a distinguished 400-year history.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SCHOOLS</h2>



<p>Bampton CofE is rated Good by Ofsted and has a newish head popular with the locals, as well as the bonus of a swimming pool. The nearest secondary schools are <a href="https://tiverton.devon.sch.uk">Tiverton High School</a>, rated Good but needing an injection of soon-to-be-arriving cash for a refurb, and <a href="https://cullompton.devon.sch.uk">Cullompton Community College</a> also rated Good. The best local independent school is <a href="https://blundells.org">Blundell&#8217;s</a>, a co-ed boarding and day school (<a href="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/blundells-school-tiverton/">read the Muddy review</a>) who run buses daily from Bampton to its Tiverton location.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/999673377331869/?locale=en_GB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pump track</a> at Millennium Green- a newly built kids park opening in September 2024. It&#8217;s a great new cycle track for kids and adults, planned and achieved by many of the same group that made the Motte play park which was created by a local father&#8217;s group who raised £300k to have it built. All hail the Bampton dads &#8211; again! </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">COMMUTE</h2>



<p>For Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth Junction 27 of the M5 is 15-20 mins away, and about the same to Tiverton Parkway for trains to London (2hrs 16min), Exeter and beyond.</p>



<p>View the full <a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live">Top 260 Best Places to Live</a>.</p>


Best Places to Live: Bampton

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