Visit England's South-west

UK: Devon and Cornwall for walking, museums, legends and history

Mar 26, 2008

A great destination for holidays: lazy beach days, historical houses, literary trails and walking routes. Doone Valley, Jamaica Inn, Westward Ho! and Dashwood Country.

From Land’s End at the tip of Cornwall to Exmoor on the Devon Boundary a rich heritage awaits visitors. On this South-western peninsula you’re never far from the sea, historic coastlines, fishing villages, rocky coves and over 400 beaches - a variety not found in the rest of the British Isles.

Wild and unspoilt in places, celebrity restaurants in others, King Arthur’s Castle and the Millenium Eden Project offer an unequalled choice of day trips and magical moments.

For an enjoyable walk or long trek, this area offers over 350 kilometres of coastline, part of which is included in the South West Coast Path, the longest walking trail in Britain. This Devon and Cornwall coast covers some of the dramatic coastline which has become England’s first natural World Heritage Site - East Devon Jurassic Coast famous for its fossil finds, has been included in the UNESCO listings as an area of geological importance.

Dartmoor, which covers 365 square miles, is famous for its hardy Dartmoor ponies, it’s a wild and rugged moorland with superb walking country, and awesome mists. This was the inspiration for Conan Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles, and home to the prolific writer Agatha Christie.

Bodmin Moor is home to Neolithic and Bronze Age remains with its centre – Jamaica Inn – the inspiration and title of Daphne Du Maurirer’s famous smuggling novel.

Exmoor is more gentle and - from its highest point Dunkery Beacon at over 1700 feet the coast of Wales on the other side of the Bristol Channel can be clearly seen. This is the windswept country of deep valleys, pretty villages and thatched inns which gave birth to R.D. Blackmore’s Lorna Doone.

Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson was set in north Devon and the classic by Charles Kingsley – Westward Ho! Marks the only town in Britain which has an exclamation mark in its name!

But it’s not all literary works that reign here, fantastic surfing, Championship golf, cycling trails, martime museums, historical buildings and gardens all add up to a great location with oodles of activities to keep everybody happy.

Devon and Cornwall can be reached by motorway from London and the rest of Britain or National Express Coaches run between most major towns as well as having links to some European cities.

There are several regional airports including Bristol, Exeter, Newquay and Plymouth and good rail travel with national and regional services. High speed trains connect London with Devon and Cornwall in just 2 hours.

The copyright of the article Visit England's South-west in England Travel is owned by Rachel L. Webb. Permission to republish Visit England's South-west in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.