Old Pound Smithy

You'll find this solid stone building tucked away near Bideford, a working smithy that's been part of the landscape for centuries. The Old Pound Smithy is exactly what it sounds like - a forge where blacksmiths once shaped metal and shod horses for the local farming community. The building itself is the main draw: rough granite walls, a proper traditional setup inside if you can peer through the windows, and that sense of stopping time that old workshops tend to have.

It's the sort of place that appeals to history enthusiasts and walkers more than anyone else. Kids might manage five minutes before asking what's for lunch. There's no visitor centre or interpretation boards, so you're really just looking at the exterior and imagining the clang of hammer on anvil from decades past. Free to view from outside, though whether you can actually get inside depends on current arrangements - best to check locally in Bideford before making the journey.

If you're staying at one of the nearby campsites - Roeys Retreat is closest at just 2.4 miles away - it makes a pleasant detour on a ramble through the Devon countryside rather than a destination in itself. Couple it with a walk along the Torridge Valley or a visit to Bideford's quay, and you've got a proper afternoon sorted. Allow twenty minutes here unless you're really keen on blacksmithing history, in which case you might linger and take notes.