Westward Ho!, Seaside resort in Devon, England
Westward Ho! is a seaside resort in Northam, Devon, England, that stretches along two miles of coastline with a sandy beach. Behind the beach rises a natural pebble ridge and beyond it opens the dune area of Northam Burrows Country Park.
The village began in 1864 when investors built holiday accommodation after the success of a novel by Charles Kingsley from 1855. The settlement grew rapidly around the new beach and attracted families from across England.
The name comes directly from a novel by Charles Kingsley and this literary connection still appears today in street signs and plaques around the village. Visitors find the old golf course near the coast, where players tee off between the dunes and walkers enjoy the open landscape with views over the water.
The beach is wide and easy to walk during low tide, while the water comes close to the pebble ridge at high tide. Bus stops on the main road connect the village to Bideford and Barnstaple, and parking areas sit near the beach.
The place name carries an exclamation mark as the only one in Britain, taken directly from the book title. This punctuation appears on all official signs and gives the village an unusual spelling.
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