Regional Spotlight: North Devon

North Devon's stunning coastline offers great surfing and more beautiful beaches than you can shake a stick at, and its increasing popularity with tourists makes it a popular choice for operators.

Tony Foster, manager of the Devon & Somerset office of property agent Webbers, says the main tourism hot spots of Woolacombe and Croyde, with their excellent surfing beaches, are always in demand.

The biggest surprise in recent years, says Foster, has been Ilfracombe, which has been transformed from a declining Victorian resort, thanks largely to artist Damien Hirst's decision to open his restaurant, 11 The Quay, there.

"Suddenly, Ilfracombe is going through a phase of being the place to buy," Foster says.

Hotels "rarely" come up for sale in Woolacombe, and when they do they tend to get bought by developers and turned into luxury apartments. But £300,000 gets you a guesthouse in Ilfracombe, and Foster reckons that is a good place for first-time buyers to start. Head east across Exmoor and the same property in Lynton or Lynmouth would be between £350,000 and £400,000.

Pubs in north Devon start at about £300,000 for freehouses and £75,000 for leaseholds, depending on the terms of the lease and rent.

Foster says 90% of his buyers are from outside the area, the majority hailing from the Home Counties. Although, as elsewhere, prices have gone up "considerably" in the past three years, prices are now starting to stabilise, Foster adds.