also provides evening cruises downstream from Bideford along the River Torridge. South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path National Trail runs through the town, and gives access to the North Devon coast. Bus There are several bus services most of which are provided by Stagecoach South West. These include: 21 North Devon Wave – Ilfracombe/Braunton – Barnstaple – Fremington – Bideford – Westward Ho! 21A north Devon Wave – Georgeham – Braunton – Barnstaple – Fremington – Bideford and Appledore 5B Barnstaple – Torrington – Crediton – Exeter 319 Barnstaple – Bideford – Abbotsham – Woolsery – Hartland – Bude 85 Barnstaple – Holsworthy 75 Weare Giffard – Torrington – Dartington Fields 75A Affinity Outlet – Torrington – Hatherleigh – Okehampton 75B Barnstaple – Torrington – Hatherleigh – Okehampton Many routes are subsidised by Devon County Council. Railway The nearest railway station is at Barnstaple away. Bideford was previously connected to the national rail network, but the connection was lost in 1982 (by then a freight branch, which was still operating due to the mining of ball clay traffic from Meeth Quarry) with the closure of the line from Barnstaple to Torrington and Meeth Quarry. Passenger services were closed in 1965 following the publication of the Beeching Report. The station still exists at East-the-Water and is now managed by a preservation group, the Bideford Railway Heritage Centre. The line followed the contours of the River Torridge for much of its route to Torrington and most of it is part of the Tarka Trail. In 2009, James May's Toy Stories attempted to run OO gauge trains on a temporary track on the right of way. A subsequent attempt in 2011 was successful. In 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies costed reopening the Barnstaple to Bideford route at £80 million. But in 2010 Devon County Council rejected proposals by Torridge District Council to consider reopening. Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway The Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway was an unusual and short-lived railway built entirely on this peninsula with no direct connection to the rest of the British railway network. The locomotives were fitted with skirts to protect pedestrians, as at one point the line ran along the quay at Bideford. The line had eleven halts which largely served visitors wishing to enjoy the scenery along the coast or the beaches around Westward Ho!. The railway, although authorised