Devon Character Areas

View west from east of Instow towards the River Torridge and Appledore on the opposite banks of the river.

Contextual description

This long, narrow Devon Character Area (DCA) comprises the ridges of high land between the Taw Valley (to the east) and the Torridge Valley (to the west). To the north is the lower lying Taw-Torridge Estuary, and to the south is a gradual transition to the open inland plateau of the High Taw Farmland DCA. The northern half of this DCA falls within North Devon district, whilst the southern half is within Torridge district. A very small area, west of Winkleigh, is within Mid Devon.

Link to National Character Areas and Constituent Landscape Character Types

Constituent LCTs: 1F Farmed lowland moorland and Culm grassland, 3A Upper farmed and wooded valley slopes and 5A Inland elevated undulating land.

This DCA forms part of The Culm National Character Area (NCA 149). A small area at the northern tip is within Exmoor National Character Area (NCA 145).

Summary character description

An open, elevated landscape, where the long views out make an important contribution to the sense of place. The high land of Exmoor (to the north) and Dartmoor (to the south) provide orientation, and a backdrop of seasonally changing colour. In the north, views out to sea and across the North Devon coast lend a strong maritime influence. Views across and into the neighbouring Taw and Torridge valleys emphasise the contrast between this open farmland and the wooded, enclosed and intimate valley landscapes on either side. Skylines are very important, with clumps of trees and square church towers acting as prominent features and landscape focal points. Woodland and occasional patches of unimproved grassland contribute to the colour and texture of the landscape.

Mosaic of pastoral and grassland fields with mixed deciduous and coniferous woodland at Knapp Wood.

Distinctive characteristics

• Underlying Culm Measures geology creating a series of east-west ridges, rising towards the south and supporting poorly-drained soil.
• Ridges divided by small spring-fed tributary streams, flowing into the Torridge (to the west) or the Taw (to the east).
• Farmland generally in pastoral use, with some areas of arable on better-quality land.
• Complex pattern of fields, generally with smaller, irregular fields around villages and on valley sides, and larger, more regular fields (suggesting more recent enclosure) on areas of higher land.
• Some largely intact historic field systems (e.g. around Roborough and Hiscott) adding to the time-depth of the landscape.
• Fields generally divided by hedgerows or fern-rich hedgebanks in variable condition: some well-managed, others grown-out or closely flailed.
• Extensive linear semi-natural woodlands and remnant orchards associated with farms; occasional windswept trees and hilltop clumps of beech; and blocks of coniferous plantation on higher ground.
• Extensive areas of Culm grassland of national importance; farmland also supports a variety of habitats.
• Straight roads along high ground (often associated with prehistoric barrows) and a network of deep lanes and tracks on valley sides, indicating the area's importance as a routeway for millennia.
• Many other historic landscape features including bridges, medieval castles, prehistoric earthworks and numerous listed buildings, including Grade I listed churches at Westleigh, Howood, Tawstock and High Bickington.
• Parkland influence on landscape character in the north-west of the area around Tapeley Park and Tawstock Court.
• Settlement pattern of nucleated historic villages, generally on high ground and often clustered around a crossroads or bridge, with square church towers forming prominent landscape features.
• Scattered farmsteads, often at the end of long access tracks; many with vernacular features including whitewashed stone/ cob walls and slate or locally distinctive thatched roofs (e.g. around Tawstock).
• Long views from high ground across and into the Taw and Torridge valleys, and to Dartmoor or Exmoor, as well as views of the sea and Taw-Torridge estuary from the north.
• Skylines to the north are punctuated by pylons, telecommunication masts and occasional wind turbines, with views to Fullabrook Down wind farm (DCA 44).

Special qualities and features

High land plays an important role as a backdrop to surrounding character areas and to the settlements of Bideford and Barnstaple.

A sense of remoteness - despite the presence of various modern features in the landscape - with high levels of tranquillity and dark skies, particularly in the southern part of the area.

Culm grassland sites including Pope House Moor and Beaford Moor Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Pockets of semi-natural ancient woodland in valleys (e.g. around Hollocombe), numerous County Wildlife Sites including woodland and grassland sites; and a Local Nature Reserve at Fremington.

Tapeley Park Registered Historic Park and Garden (Grade II*) is a distinct landmark overlooking the River Torridge, designated for its early 20th century formal terraces within 18th and 19th century parkland.

Several Conservation Areas covering historic village cores with clusters of listed buildings, including Beaford, Burrington, Fremington, Great Torrington, High Burrington, Instow, Kingscott, Tawstock and Winkleigh.

Numerous historic buildings scattered throughout the area, including churches (some Grade I listed), farmhouses and manor houses. Additional clusters of listed buildings at Eastleigh, Horwood, Newton Tracey, Roborough and St Giles in the Wood.

Historic features within the fabric of the landscape including lanes, remnant historic field patterns, stone bridges and white fingerposts.

Several Scheduled Monuments, often occupying prominent positions, including prehistoric ridge-top bowl-barrows, hillforts and enclosures, the medieval Tawstock Holy Well, and two castles in Winkleigh.

A network of lanes, tracks and public rights of way, as well as extensive areas of open access land such as Beaford Moor, Hollocombe Moor and Eggesford Forest.

Large scale mixed fields on elevated land south of Newton Tracey, with linear woodland following the course of a minor stream valley.

Forces for change and their landscape implications

Past and current

• Agricultural intensification, leading to drainage and improvement of Culm grasslands and loss of some landscape features such as hedges and hedgebanks and widening of gateways to accommodate larger farm machinery.
• Amalgamation of farms to improve viability, and construction of prominent agricultural buildings including large barns.
• Coniferous plantations on areas of former Culm grassland (e.g. around Dolton and Huntshaw Barton).
• Loss of traditional orchards reducing landscape diversity and habitat value.
• 20th century introduction of large-scale built features into the landscape, such as masts, pylons, quarries and a radar station, often on prominent hill-top sites.
• Industrial land uses on Winkleigh airfield, including chicken sheds and large warehouses locally altering landscape character.
• Expansion of prominent ridgetop settlements stand out as linear forms on the skyline (e.g. Winkleigh and Great Torrington).
• Urban fringe influences on the landscape in some areas, e.g. golf clubs, fisheries and pony paddocks as well as occasional fly-tipping near settlements.
• Industrial land uses including a landfill site at Holmacott, a recycling centre and derelict barns on the edge of Great Torrington, locally affecting landscape character and quality.
• Light spill from Barnstaple, Bideford and Great Torrington reducing the impressiveness of starlit skies in the northern part of the area.
• Traffic on the A39 and A3124 locally disrupts the sense of tranquillity.
• Renewable energy developments becoming more common in the landscape including solar farms (particularly in the north at Collacott Farm, Horsacott and Tower Park) and wind turbines on higher ridges, as well as views to windfarms in adjacent landscapes e.g. Fullabrook Down to the north.
• Tourism pressure in some parts of the landscape resulting in seasonally high levels of traffic on rural lanes.
• Effects of climate change resulting in wetter and warmer winters, and more frequent hot and dry periods increasing the risk of drought in summer, plus more frequent extreme weather events such as storms with more intense rainfall increasing flood risk.

Future

• Uncertainty over future levels of agricultural support and the nature of agri-environment schemes (post-Brexit), potentially reducing the viability of marginal farms.
• Loss of over-mature hedgerow trees and distinctive skyline beech clumps, including due to potential increases in storms and drought resulting from climate change.
• Potential for future woodland planting to reduce downstream flooding and increase carbon sequestration.
• Continued settlement expansion, leading to increased visual impacts of small-scale development, particularly around prominent villages and farmsteads.
• Risk of coalescence of settlements at Bickington, Fremington, Yelland and Instow, resulting in loss of the traditional settlement pattern.
• Further demand for both commercial and domestic-scale wind turbines, with potential for cumulative effects on landscape character.
• Ongoing demand for other renewable energy sources including solar farms on south-facing slopes and bio-energy crops, changing the pattern and appearance of the landscape.
• Ongoing climate change affecting seasonal patterns and growing conditions, changing agricultural practices and threatening the survival of semi-natural habitats such as woodland and Culm grassland.
• Change in woodland/tree species composition as new pests/diseases spread (including Phytopthora pathogens) and as a result of climate extremes (including drought, flooding and high temperatures).
• Continued increase in levels of domestic tourism with associated demand for new tourism and leisure facilities, particularly in the north of the area along the Taw and Torridge Rivers.

A wind turbine, chicken sheds and warehouses at Winkleigh Airfield introduce an industrial character to the otherwise rural landscape.

View north-east from Huish Moor towards wind turbines at Collacott Wind Farm.

Landscape guidelines

Protect

• Protect open skylines - which form the backdrop to surrounding DCAs and parts of the North Devon Coast AONB- from inappropriate development and changes in land use.
• Protect traditional farming and land management practices and resist further intensification.
• Protect the sparse settlement pattern and characteristic building styles, ensuring that any new development is sensitively sited (and screened if appropriate) and reflects the local vernacular in terms of form and style (whilst incorporating sustainable design). Avoid prominent ridgetop locations and sloping valley sides where development would be visually prominent.
• Protect historic buildings and features and their settings, particularly those prominent in the landscape such as church towers and bowl barrows on hills.
• Protect and appropriately manage the publicly accessible historic landscape at Tapeley Park, which occupies a prominent position over the River Torridge.
• Protect intact historic field systems such as those around Roborough and Hiscott. Restore lengths of hedges which have been lost, respecting local species composition and bank construction (where banks are present).
• Protect and manage surviving traditional orchards and explore opportunities for the creation of new ones, including community orchards.
• Protect dark night skies in the southern part of the area, resisting highways improvements and lighting schemes which would detract from this special quality of the landscape. Consider the introduction of noise/light attenuation on major road corridors and around urban edges.
• Protect the characteristically high levels of tranquillity and remoteness.
• Protect the pockets of open access land within the landscape, exploring greater linkages with the public rights of way access and areas where people live.

Manage

• Manage farmland, encouraging farmers to appropriately manage 'marginal' land as an integral part of their farming systems.
• Manage and strengthen hedgerows, hedgebanks and associated habitats using traditional techniques.
• Manage remnant areas of unimproved/Culm grassland, through appropriate levels of grazing.
• Manage remaining parklands at Tapeley Park and Tawstock Court to retain their distinctive character and historic value.
• Manage isolated windswept trees and distinctive hill-top tree clumps, replacing over-mature or storm-damaged trees as necessary to retain them as features within the landscape.
• Manage plantations for sustainable timber production and wildlife interest, as well as some recreational use if appropriate.
• Manage archaeological sites, including through grazing (where appropriate) and the introduction of sensitive interpretation.

Plan

• Utilise the new Environmental Land Management schemes and other initiatives (as they emerge) to manage and enhance the wildlife interest of the farmed landscape and contribute to nature recovery networks.
• Link remnant areas of Culm grassland, extending them where possible to increase their biodiversity value and their resilience to climate change.
• Plan for the diversification and future sustainability of conifer plantations in the landscape, exploring options for mixed stocking, the restoration of open habitats such as Culm Grasslands and opportunities for access/recreation.
• Plan a landscape-led response to the UK-wide policy drive for increased tree and woodland planting, implementing Devon Local Nature Partnership's 'Right Place, Right Tree' principles to create a balance of climate-resilient native species appropriate to the local landscape.
• Create a green infrastructure network for larger adjoining settlements (e.g. Great Torrington, Bideford, Barnstaple), to create links with the surrounding countryside and provide a framework for potential future sustainable development.
• Mitigate visually intrusive development sites (such as Winkleigh Airfield) through carefully designed planting.
• Plan for future need for energy and telecoms infrastructure including masts, and renewable energy installations, so that these can be sited in appropriate locations and their impacts mitigated through careful design.
• Enhance the landscape's strong settlement pattern by providing design guidance on new developments, respecting settlement form, character and local vernacular.

DCA 32 High Culm Ridges (PDF) [1MB]