VISITOR numbers at Okehampton Castle have increased for the third year running.
This contrasts with the national picture as announced by the English Tourism Council revealing that visits to historic properties in England fell slightly in 1999 for the second year — down 0.6 per cent to an estimated 69 million.
Okehampton Castle is one of a number of English Heritage sites which have bucked the trend with visitor numbers rising from 10,900 in 1997 to 12,676 in 1999.
Area manager for English Heritage Alan Endacott said there were some good results in the South West, particularly Tintagel Castle in Cornwall which saw a rise of 14 per cent in visitor numbers last year.
'In the case of Okehampton Castle we have re-introduced special events on the site and these attractions are linking in with the Sunday Rover train service,' he said.
A re-enactment of life in the 15th Century this weekend at the castle is one of the events expected to draw a large crowd.