The Pleasure House Folly

You'll spot it perched on the hillside near Bideford - a peculiar stone tower that looks like someone's Victorian fantasy got a bit out of hand. The Pleasure House Folly is exactly what its name suggests: a nineteenth-century whimsy built by someone with money and questionable taste, though it's rather endearing once you're actually standing in front of it.

It's not a grand affair. You're looking at a compact structure that was constructed as a leisure building - hence the name - and it commands decent views across the landscape. The thing about follies is they rarely have much to do once you've arrived, which is fair warning: this isn't a place to spend three hours. Twenty minutes to half an hour, walk around it, take some photos, and you're done.

Historians and quirk-hunters will find it worthwhile, particularly if you're already exploring the Bideford area. Families with young kids might find it a bit underwhelming unless they're genuinely into slightly odd Victorian structures. There's no admission charge that I'm aware of, though access details can be patchy with these smaller heritage sites.

The real value here is as a peculiar addition to a broader park holiday. You're minutes from Coastal Cabins Glamping and Roeys Retreat Campsite, both strong options if you're based locally. Use it as a waypoint during a ramble rather than a destination in itself. It's the sort of thing that gets a laugh when you tell people back home, and sometimes that's reason enough.