North Devon is a traditional tourist location with enduring appeal as the ideal for family holidays with its stunning landscapes, cliffs, long sandy beaches, surfing and moors. By the 1950s these locations were already firmly on the tourist map. The spread of railways during the Victorian era brought holidaymakers to the coast and sea-bathing became a popular pastime. The Rock Pool at Westward Ho! near Bideford probably dates back to the turn of the twentieth century.