Shopping. Abbotskerswell has a good village shop and a Post Office. Our nearest shopping town is Newton Abbot, about two miles away, with a range of local and national shops and supermarkets. Torquay has good shopping and there is a useful out-of-town shopping centre (Marks and Spencer, a large Sainsburys, Currys, etc.) only ten minutes away on the main road to Torquay. Somerfields delivers to The Priory if you spend Ł25 in-store, and both Tesco and Sainsburys deliver to us if you order on the Internet. Totnes is especially good for art galleries, craft galleries and gift shops. The City of Exeter can be reached in 30 minutes. Bovey Tracey has one of the best craft galleries in the country.

Public Transport. The A.380 links to the M5 at Exeter and thence to the whole Motorway network. Newton Abbot is the main rail centre for South Devon and has direct services to London Paddington (3 hours), the North, Scotland and Plymouth/Penzance (08457 48 49 50 or www.nationalrail.co.uk) National Express coaches provide daily services to London, Heathrow, the Midlands and South Wales. (08705 808080 or www.nationalexpress.com ). Exeter airport is about 20 miles away: scheduled services are available to Scotland, several European destinations and (via Birmingham) to other continents (01392 367433). There is a helpful taxi service in the village, for journeys to the shops, doctor or further afield to Heathrow, etc.

Recreation. It hardly needs to be said that Dartmoor offers magnificent walking, and the Torbay area has all the traditional facilities of a sophisticated holiday resort combined with an attractively mild climate.Fishing for salmon and trout is available in the rivers Teign and Dart. Local golf clubs include Dainton Park which is only two miles away (01803 8138120 and Stover, on the Newton Abbot - Bovey Tracey road (01626 352460). Newton Abbot Race Course (01626 353235) is just outside the town, on the Kingsteignton road, as is Teignbridge Indoor Bowls Centre (01626 360426) and the South Devon Cricket Club ground. Dyrons Sport and Leisure Centre, with a good swimming pool, is in the centre of town (01626 360426). Theatres include the Northcott at Exeter (01392 493493), the Theatre Royal at Plymouth (01752 26722) and Torbay Theatre. A comprehensive list of local clubs and organisations is available in the Newton Abbot Town Guide, available from the Information Centre (01626 367494). There are good facilities for Adult Education Courses: phone 01626 206410 for details.

Medical Services. Most of The Priory residents use Health Centres in Kingskerswell or Ipplepen, both about two miles away. The three-star Torbay District Hospital is on the main road to Torquay, about four miles away. There is also a smaller hospital in Newton Abbot with daytime emergency service on weekdays. There are several therapists such as Chiropodists and Physiotherapists who make house calls to Priory residents.