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Location

When Accent was founded, it was decided to look for a centre and a location which closely resembled corporate management training centres. So - definitely not London or any big city but somewhere in the countryside, in attractive surroundings but close to good facilities and with excellent communications. The choice has been a good one.

Devon, in south-west England, has two coasts - the north and south - and it has a choice of sandy or pebble beaches, fishing villages and sea suitable for swimming, sailing or surfing.

In addition to the two coasts, Devon also has two National Parks - Dartmoor and Exmoor. Dartmoor is a high wilderness of moorland with the famous "tors", forests and lakes - and connections with Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. Exmoor is more gentle with tree-lined valleys and quiet rivers. Wildlife is wonderful and even includes wild horses.

Bicton College is situated in its own park in the middle of the beautiful green hills of the Devon countryside but only five minutes from the nearest beach. It is very close to Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth. Both of these are small, elegant towns on the sea with traditional shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants and hotels, in addition to the beaches. All around the college are thousand-year-old villages with typical cottages and houses. Exmouth is a larger town, also on the sea and has more facilities and nightlife.

Exeter is the capital of Devon and is 12 miles from Bicton College. It was originally a Roman city but is now the most important cultural and administrative centre in the region. It has a famous cathedral and a well known university, theatres, cinemas, art galleries and sports facilities, as well as some excellent shops.

Exeter is also the communications centre for Devon and has an international airport with links to Europe, a rail station and bus station with services to the London airports.

In Devon, the main industries are in the service sector, administration, local government, tourism and agriculture. It is a very popular place to live - because of the beauty but also because of the way of life. People have time, here - and this means our course participants benefit from the local residents' interest in them and in what they do. They have time to talk.