Elmscott Youth Hostel

Elmscott Youth Hostel is a renovated Victorian school, surrounded by a beautiful scenic coastline with sea views of Lundy Island. The hostel is located in a remote, next-to-nature setting with an unspoilt coastline, amazing rock formations, a profusion of wild flowers and many quiet lanes to explore. The surrounding area is excellent for walking, surfing and birdwatching. The Youth Hostel is located a few minutes walk from the South West Coast Path - a trail which follows the spectacular fringe of the Devon and Cornwall coast for 962km, passing by pretty villages, harbours and wide river mouths.

Elmscott is located in the south-west of England, on the North Devon coast, 25m from the town of Barnstaple and 15m north of Bude. The nearest small town is Hartland and the closest Youth Hostels are Boscastle 28m and Tintagel 32m. See Ordnance Survey Map Number 190, grid reference 231217. Nearby are Clovelly and Hartland Quay. The name Emscut or Elmscott has nothing to do with Elm, but is Ilmans cot or cottage. By 1566 it had become Yelmscot, from which the change to the modern name is an easy transition. The local name Emscut is as near to the true origin as you can get. View a map of Elmscott here.

A snapshot of Devon

Together with neighbouring Cornwall, Devon has the mildest climate in England; it is also the only other county to boast both an Atlantic and a Channel coast. No part of Devon is further than 25 miles from the sea, boosting the tourist industry. The county's other main source of income is agriculture, in particular dairy farming, favoured by the high rainfall and long grass-growing season. North Devon is less developed and less easily accessible from London. Houses are typically built of stone with slate roofs.