Ivybridge hotels and self catering cottage accommodation in Ivybridge

Devon » Ivybridge accommodation

Boasting hundreds of years of history and set amidst outstanding natural surroundings, Ivybridge was once a mill town and a coach stop on the way to London. Its first vague mention dates back to 1280, in reference to the Ivy Bridge it sits next to, crossing the River Erme.

Around the 17th century, the town's industry featured a variety of mills (tin, edge, tool, corn, tucking and paper), showing the great importance the Erme River had as a source of water power.

By the 1700s, it was a flourishing little community, built around the London Hotel, a coaching inn on the road to Plymouth. The Ivy Bridge crossing the Erme had to be widened as the town grew, and in 1819 the New Bridge was built, enabling a greater interconnection and enabling the population to grow from 500 to around 12,000.

Though only one of the mills still survives, the River Erme still remains at the centre of the town’s heart. Walks going south, like the Erme Valley Trail, and north, towards Dartmoor, all start from here. The Erme Valley Trail goes all the way to Ermington, following the river throughout fields and woods. To go even further, into Wembury and then Plymouth, you can follow the Erme Plym Trail.