Great Torrington Golf Club

You won't find the most fashionable course in Devon here, but that's rather the point. Great Torrington Golf Club is a proper country layout - rolling fairways, mature trees, and the sort of honest test that makes you think about your shot rather than your handicap. The course sits just outside Bideford, an easy drive from the north Devon coast, with enough character to keep a round interesting without feeling punishing.

It's the kind of place where golfers of all levels actually enjoy themselves. You get eighteen holes of straightforward, playable golf with decent greens and enough strategic bunkering to demand respect. The views across the Devon countryside are there if you bother to look up from your scorecard - rolling fields and hedgerows that feel very much of this part of the world.

If you're staying at Owl Valley Glamping or Broad Park, both just four or five miles away, this makes a logical morning round before heading to the coast or exploring the Taw Valley. Allow three to three and a half hours for eighteen. Ring ahead before you go - visitor play depends on membership availability, and you'll need to confirm whether you can get out that day.

Not everyone holidays to play golf, but if you do, this beats queuing at some overblown resort course. The staff are welcoming, the pace is reasonable, and the whole thing feels refreshingly unpretentious.