Stoke

St Nectan's

Two miles beyond Hartland lies Stoke, with St Nectan's, the fourteenth century church with a dramatic 128ft tower. The site of the church is where the Saxon Countess Gytha, mother of King Harold, founded an abbey in 1050 in thanks for the salvation of her husband in a storm.

The perpendicular granite tower is the second tallest in Devon, a testament to the church's status as a beacon for mariners. The dedication is to St Nectan, whose medieval statue survives on the tower's east face. The tower is also the reason the church is known as The Cathedral of North Devon. It gives a bearing to walkers as they travel around Hartland Point.

The interior of St Nectan's is graciously proportioned with limestone rather than granite arcades and an all-through wagon roof. Part of this has a ceiling of reproduction panels whose patterns and colours are based on some Victorian panels stored in the small museum above the north porch. Hartland's masterpiece is its small screen, which spans the building. The tracery is simple and the dado a conventional West Country design, but the coving and cornice are magnificent. Between the coving ribs are stylised flowers and shields. The colouring has been touched up over the centuries, but the cornice colour is original.

Stoke Barton Farm

The best cream teas in the area are served at Stoke Barton Farm - just opposite St Nectan's Church. The cream teas are excellent, with home-made scones and a generous serving of clotted cream and strawberry jam. Ring Stoke Barton Farm on 01237 441238.