Why I Love.. Tiverton
It's not a town that a lot of people would think of straight away when asked about the South West. It's a stop on your way to somewhere bigger, just a small sleepy market town that sits on the edge of the motorway.
But as I've got to know this little town I now call home, I've grown to quite like it...
I'll admit, when we made the move to Tiverton in late 2019, our choice of location to put down roots was based purely on convenience. The proximity to the motorway for links to Exeter and Taunton, as well as being on the mouth of the North Devon Link Road was exactly what we were looking for, and Tiverton just happened to be it.
My introduction to the kind of town this is was when I moved to the GTH Tiverton office from Yeovil. I started exploring at lunchtimes and what I found was warmly familiar, reminding me of the small town in North Devon I grew up in. The high street is on the smaller side, but bursting with independent shops and cafes, as well as lots of charity shops, which is really rather refreshing in a world dominated by national chains on every corner.
Within the first few months of moving into our first home, the country was plunged into what would become the first of a few lockdowns. Suddenly we had nothing but time to explore this new town.
We're lucky to live on the edge of Tiverton, giving us easy access to the town for essentials, as well as being greeted by rolling countryside just a five minute walk from our house.
Once our puppy - Yoshi - started getting a little bigger, we were able to venture further on our daily allotted walks. The canal is an obvious choice for a walk here in Tiverton, and we've often been fortunate to see the famous canal boats gently drifting alongside us on their journeys. The canal keeps the surrounding villages of Tiverton connected.
With each adventure we are able to explore a new place just by walking a little further, which has given us the space to breathe in what has been a claustrophobic time.
While we have reaped the benefits of this slice of countryside during lockdown, it'll only get better as the world shifts back to a sense of normality.
We sit so close to all the right roads. City shopping? Head half an hour down the motorway to Exeter. Beach trip? An hour's trip from the North Devon Coastline. Work meeting in London? Tiverton Parkway has regular mainline routes and is a few minutes down the road. It's really a central haven for most.
Overall, it's a humble town but one that I've found can be severely underestimated. Without towns like Tiverton, the character of the South West would be lost. It's not just about the stunning scenery, but the sense of a community felt within these small towns and villages that really is the beating heart of the West Country.
So, if you're after a more peaceful way of life, with the benefit of connections to the rest of the county on your doorstep, it's definitely a place to consider.
But as I've got to know this little town I now call home, I've grown to quite like it...
I'll admit, when we made the move to Tiverton in late 2019, our choice of location to put down roots was based purely on convenience. The proximity to the motorway for links to Exeter and Taunton, as well as being on the mouth of the North Devon Link Road was exactly what we were looking for, and Tiverton just happened to be it.
My introduction to the kind of town this is was when I moved to the GTH Tiverton office from Yeovil. I started exploring at lunchtimes and what I found was warmly familiar, reminding me of the small town in North Devon I grew up in. The high street is on the smaller side, but bursting with independent shops and cafes, as well as lots of charity shops, which is really rather refreshing in a world dominated by national chains on every corner.
Within the first few months of moving into our first home, the country was plunged into what would become the first of a few lockdowns. Suddenly we had nothing but time to explore this new town.
We're lucky to live on the edge of Tiverton, giving us easy access to the town for essentials, as well as being greeted by rolling countryside just a five minute walk from our house.
Once our puppy - Yoshi - started getting a little bigger, we were able to venture further on our daily allotted walks. The canal is an obvious choice for a walk here in Tiverton, and we've often been fortunate to see the famous canal boats gently drifting alongside us on their journeys. The canal keeps the surrounding villages of Tiverton connected.
With each adventure we are able to explore a new place just by walking a little further, which has given us the space to breathe in what has been a claustrophobic time.
While we have reaped the benefits of this slice of countryside during lockdown, it'll only get better as the world shifts back to a sense of normality.
We sit so close to all the right roads. City shopping? Head half an hour down the motorway to Exeter. Beach trip? An hour's trip from the North Devon Coastline. Work meeting in London? Tiverton Parkway has regular mainline routes and is a few minutes down the road. It's really a central haven for most.
Overall, it's a humble town but one that I've found can be severely underestimated. Without towns like Tiverton, the character of the South West would be lost. It's not just about the stunning scenery, but the sense of a community felt within these small towns and villages that really is the beating heart of the West Country.
So, if you're after a more peaceful way of life, with the benefit of connections to the rest of the county on your doorstep, it's definitely a place to consider.