England: Devon
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Devon is an immensely popular UK vacation destination in the very South West of England. The county shares its borders with the counties of Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset. With a south coast on the English Channel and a north coast on the Bristol Channel Devon certainly has plenty of coastal areas worth visiting but there are many more attractions to this part of England which together make it one of the most appealing vacation destinations in the whole of Britain.
The south east coast of Devon includes part of the World Heritage Site knowns as the Jurassic Coast which continues well into east Dorset. The cliffs include layers from the Jurassic period as well as others which, in total, cover around one hundred and eighty million years of geology. Considered as one of the most spectacular natural sites in Great Britain the area is renowned for the many fossils discovered there, which include the very first complete fossil of a Ichthyosaur (a marine reptile which looks rather like a dolphin) from the Mesozoic era.
Obviously, with so much coastline, the county played a vital role in the maritime history of England and the British Empire and this is most evident in the two cities of Exeter and Plymouth (of which the later is most well known for its nautical traditions). Of course the county also has more than its fair share of seaside resorts of which the south coast resort of Torquay is, by far, the most popular while Ilfracombe (shown below right), on the north coast, is also rather busy. Of all the lovely coastal towns and villages the tiny village of Clovelly stands out as the most picturesque and is well worth visiting, even though you may find it rather congested at the height of the season.
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| Places To Visit In Devon | |
| Historic Houses & Stately Homes In Devon | |
| Devon Hotels & Accommodation |
Moving inland the county of Devon has some of the most idylic countryside in England with lush meadows, narrow country lanes and quaint villages which often feature thatched cottages and other "olde worlde" buildings. The more central you go the more sparse the population and much of the central countryside consists of moorland. The most well known part is the Dartmoor National Park which features a number of worthy villages. Up in the north east part of the county you will find part of the Exmoor National Park.
Places To Visit In Devon, England
Settlements In The County Of Devon
Exeter
The county town of Devon
and a great place in which to stay if you want to tour some of the less commerialised aspects of the Devonshire countryside. Read more...
Plymouth
An immensely important Royal Navy port with historic links to some of England's most influencial sea battles the city provides a variety of visitor attractions to make it a popular England vacation destination with both the British and visitors from abroad. Read more...
There are two cities in Devon, Exeter (the county town) and Plymouth. Towns include; Axminster, Barnstaple, Beer, Bovey Tracey, Bideford, Dartmouth, Exmouth, Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Princetown, Sidmouth, Tavistock, Teignmouth, Torquay, Totnes, Westward Ho! and Woolacombe. Villages include; Frogmore, Hittisleigh, Lympstone and Stockland.
Museums & Art Galleries
The Arlington Carriage Museum, Axminster Museum, Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture, Bishopsteignton Museum of Rural Life, Brixham Heritage Museum, Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Coldharbour Mill Working Wool Museum, Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, Exmouth Museum, Fairlynch Museum, Newton Abbot Town and GWR Museum, North Devon Maritime Museum, Overbeck's, Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery, Plymouth Naval Base Museum, Royal Albert Museum & Art Gallery, Sidmouth Museum, Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life, Topsham Museum, Torquay Museum, Torre Abbey Historic House and Gallery, Torrington Heritage Museum, Totnes Costume Museum, Totnes Museum, West Country Historic Omnibus & Transport Trust and the West of England Transport Collection.
Heritage Railways
Babbacombe Cliff Railway, Bideford & Instow Railway, Dartmoor Railway, Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway, Plym Valley Railway and the South Devon Railway.
Parks & Gardens, Places Of Natural Beauty
Bicton Park, Dartmoor National Park, Exmoor National Park (part) and the Jurassic Coast (a World Heritage Site). You will find that the city of Plymouth has an astounding selection of parks, gardens & open spaces which are all worth a visit if you find sufficient time (more details on our Plymouth page).
Historic Religious Buildings
Buckland Abbey, Buckfast Abbey, The Church House at Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Church House at South Tawton, Hartland Abbey and Torre Abbey.
Historic Houses & Stately Homes
A La Ronde, Arlington Court, Bowden House, Bradley, Cadhay, Castle Drogo, Castle Hill, Chambercombe Manor, Coleton Fishacre, Cullompton Manor House, Dartington Hall, The Elizabethan House, Flete House, Fursdon, Greenway Estate, Hemerdon House, Killerton, Kirkham House, Kitley, Knightshayes Court, Luscombe Castle, Mamhead, Maristow House Moreton House, Oldway Mansion, Overbeck's, The Prysten House, Saltram House, Sand, Shute Barton, Tapeley Park, Ugbrooke and Woodway House.
Castles
Bampton Castle (Earthworks), Barnstaple Castle (Earthworks), Berry Pomeroy Castle, Bickleigh Castle, Compton Castle, Cranmore Castle, Dartmouth Castle, Castle Drogo, Gidleigh Castle, Kingswear Castle (Privately Owned), Lydford Castle, Okehampton Castle, Plympton Castle (Ruins) Powderham Castle, Rougemont Castle, Salcombe Castle, Tiverton Castle, Totnes Castle and Winkleigh Castle.
Other Places In Devon To Visit
Lundy Island, Berry Head and the Mythic garden at Stone Farm. The village of Clovelly on the North Devon coast is incredibly popular with visitors and, at peak times, the small, steep, cobbled main street can become a little crowded.
Other Interesting Buildings To Visit In Devon
Across Devon you will see unusual looking buildings using "Cob". Cob is a subsoil (containing an element of clay) mixed with straw which, when dry, has reasonable amount of weather
resistance.
Hotels In Devon
To find Devon hotels simply click on the vacation destinations below:
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Useful Devon Links
Devon Bed & Breakfast
Listings of guest houses and B&B in Devon.
Devon Hotels
Listings of hotels in Devon.
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