It is on the estuary where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet, between the villages of Westleigh and Yelland and on the opposite bank to Appledore.

[2] The Tarka Trail passes through Instow, providing an easy means for people to arrive on foot or by bike.

The village is served by the Church of St John the Baptist, which has 13th- or 14th-century origins and is a Grade I listed building.

[8] This is where the 14th century Church of St John the Baptist is located, near to the Instow Community Primary School.

[17] Military training in the Second World War included practise D-Day landings with walls built into the dunes near to Instow.

The signal box is now managed and run by volunteers of the Bideford Railway Heritage Centre and is open to the public on occasional Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The beach is suitable for families as it enjoys few waves because of the sandbanks at the mouth of the estuary cancelling out most of the ocean swell.

[26] In 1820 a pair of leading lights was established at Braunton Burrows to help guide vessels entering the Taw Torridge Estuary from Bideford Bay.

Near the village is RM Instow, a military installation operated by the Royal Marines; the main unit which uses the camp is No.

Aimed both at locals and users of the Tarka Trail / South West Coast Path this has been operated in recent times as a not-for-profit service on days when water levels in the estuary have been high enough.