Instow is a village in north Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is on the estuary where the rivers Taw

River Taw

The River Taw rises at Taw Head, a spring on the central northern flanks of Dartmoor. It reaches the Bristol Channel away on the north coast of Devon at a joint estuary mouth which it shares with the River Torridge.-Watercourse:...

 and Torridge

River Torridge

The River Torridge is a river in Devon in England. It was the home of Tarka the Otter in Henry Williamson's book. The Torridge local government district is named after the river....

 meet, between the villages of Westleigh and Yelland

Yelland

Yelland is a small village in North Devon between Instow and Fremington in the English county of Devon. Yelland is included within the parish of Fremington.-Character:...

 and on the opposite bank of Appledore.

There is a small river beach and sand dunes, that home some rare species of orchid including the pyramid orchid.

The Tarka Trail

Tarka Trail

The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It is a figure-of-eight route, based on Barnstaple, and covers some of path....

 passes through Instow, providing an easy means for people to arrive by foot or on bike. This section of the Trail is also part of the South West Coast Path

South West Coast Path

The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...

, offering longer walks along the coast.

Instow Railway Station

The line opened from Barnstaple to Fremington in 1848, and then passenger trains ran from Barnstaple to Bideford from 2 November 1855 after the Bideford Extension Railway. The line was further extended to Torrington in 1872. Passenger services ceased on 2 October 1965 although ball clay traffic continued until 1982. The track was finally removed in 1985.

Instow has a famous railway signal box

Signal box

On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...

, which is over 130 years old and was the UK's first Grade 2 Listed signal box. It used to control the signals at Instow Station and also the operation of the level crossing. You can see the wheel that operated the gates, pull the signal levers, one of which still operates a signal, and generally learn how the box worked. In 2003 the box was nationally recognised for its restoration and educational value by receiving the Carillion Rail Award at the National Railway Heritage Awards. The signal box is now managed and run by volunteers of the Bideford Railway Heritage Centre and is open to the public on occasional Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Admission is free but donations to help with the upkeep of the box are gladly accepted. Follow the Tarka Trail to Bideford and visit Bideford Station as well.

Instow Beach

Instow Beach also known as Instow Sands, is used widely during summer months at the peak of the tourist season. The beach is suitable for families as it enjoys few waves because of the sandbanks at the mouth of the estuary cancelling out most of the ocean swell. However, bathing water quality has regularly failed Environment Agency mandatory standards over the last few decades.

There are also a large number of boats anchored on the sand. Many are only accessible at low-tide or via a dinghy

Dinghy

A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...

 or what is locally known as a Tender. Over the past couple of years windsurfing and kite surfing have become popular, taking advantage of the open position and calm waters.Also canoes and kayaking up and down the rivers to Instow beach is becoming more and more popular.

A fire-crew from nearby Bideford were called to attend a fire on the sand dunes on the afternoon of Sunday 7 March 2010. Firemen beat out the flames, watched by a small crowd of onlookers, although large parts of the grass were burnt before it was brought under control.

11 Amphibious Trials and Training Unit Royal Marines

11 (Amphibious Trials and Training) Squadron, 1 Assault Group Royal Marines is based at Arromanches Camp in Instow. The name comes from the name of the town on Gold Beach of the Normandy landings from the Second World War. The village of Instow is twinned with Arromanches.

With its unique geographical features, Instow offers the ability to train in extreme conditions of sea and surf. Therefore, Landing craft are based at 11(Amphibious Trials and Training) Squadron to support this particular aspect of Landing Craft and Driver training. The beach conditions and vehicle access also make Instow the ideal location to train Amphibious Beach Unit (ABU) personnel in beach reconnaissance, beach trafficability and recovery operations.

The Beach Recovery Vehicle (BRV) is a British military support vehicle used for amphibious landings. Currently four are in UK service. Two based at ATTURM and one each on HMS Albion

HMS Albion (L14)

HMS Albion is a Landing Platform Dock of the Royal Navy, the first of the two-ship Albion class. Built by BAE Systems Marine in Barrow-in-Furness, Albion was launched in March 2001 by the Princess Royal...

 and HMS Bulwark

HMS Bulwark (L15)

HMS Bulwark is an , the UK's newest class of amphibious assault warship and built in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. For numerous reasons, delays caused the delivery date to be put back, with the ship entering service in December 2004. Together with Albion, Ocean, and other amphibious ships, she...

.

Using the facilities and beaches around Instow, Landing Craft coxswains are trained to negotiate the most demanding beach conditions, especially through surf onto a shallow gradient beach. Drivers are taught to embark and disembark from Landing Craft, wading across a water gap of up to 1.5m (4 ft 6 inches) in depth, an activity known as fording. In addition drivers and vehicle mechanics are taught to waterproof their own vehicles. Trials of new vehicle types or vehicle waterproofing kits take place at 11(ATT) Squadron using Landing Craft when required.

The Royal Marines still have four DUKW

DUKW

The DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...

 vehicles remaining in service from World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. They are used for training purposes at 11 (Amphibious Trials and Training) Squadron RM.

Top Gear Episode

Episode 6, Series 12 of the BBC TV programme Top Gear was filmed on Instow beach on 21 November 2008. The day of filming involved around 30 Royal Marines from 40 Commando RM, 539 Assault Squadron RM and 1 Assault Group RM.

Two 847 Squadron Lynx Mark 7 helicopters conducted simulated helicopter-borne assaults to drop off Royal Marines on the beach while a simultaneous amphibious assault was conducted by troops from landing craft. The amphibious assault was a little different than the Royal Marines were used to: the show’s presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, stormed ashore alongside the Royal Marines, but he was driving a specially prepared bright yellow Ford Fiesta!

Although the aim of the Top Gear feature was to entertain UK TV license payers, it was also an opportunity for 847 Squadron’s pilots and door gunners, destined for deployment to Afghanistan, to practice tactical landings and trooping drills.

The day’s events attracted a large number of onlookers, and during breaks in filming the aircrew were able to allow members of the public the opportunity to look around the aircraft and answer questions on the Lynx. Following a very successful day of filming, several squadron members were invited to the Top Gear studio to see the programme being filmed. The episode was broadcast on Sunday 7 December 2008.

Notable people

• John Harmer (1857–1944), Bishop of Rochester, died in Instow
• Leonard Slater
  Leonard Slater
  Leonard Slater was an English cricketer and British Army officer. He was born in Instow, Devon, the son of Rev. Francis Slater and Mrs. Harriet Slater....
  
   (1875-1914), English cricketer and British Army officer
• John Durnford-Slater
  John Durnford-Slater
  John Frederick Durnford-Slater, DSO & Bar was a British Army officer who was credited with raising the first Army commando unit during the Second World War....
  
   (1909-1972), British Army officer credited with raising the first Army commando
  British Commandos
  The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
  
   unit during the Second World War
• David Shepherd
  David Shepherd (umpire)
  David Robert Shepherd MBE was one of the cricket world's best-known umpires. He stood in 92 Test matches, the last of them in June 2005, and officiated in three World Cup finals.- Playing career :...
  
  (1940-2009), English cricketer and umpire

Bus services

Instow Quay is served by First services 1/2 between Barnstaple, Bideford and Westward Ho!/Appledore and by Stagecoach service 315 on a Sunday.
Instow - Anstey way is served by Stagecoach services 21/21A running between Barnstaple and Westward Ho!/Appledore. Service 315 between Barnstaple and Exeter also serves this route 6 times a day.

External links

• North Devon Yacht Club