Image gallery
Victorian-era houses, Devon
Picture-perfect Devon has long been one of the country’s favourite holiday destinations, and with such a smorgasbord of natural wonders, it’s not hard to see what keeps the holidaymakers coming back. Blanketed with patchwork pastures, dotted with rural villages, and bordered by some of the country’s most stunning coastline, it’s a county with something to offer everyone: a place to walk the hills, roam the fields and bike the bridleways before stuffing yourself with some hearty Devonian cooking in a backcountry inn. If it’s the quintessentially kitsch British seaside you’re after, then head to the South Devon Coast for the chintzy seaside resorts of Ilfracombe, Torquay & Paignton. For a bit more class, the ancient Roman city of Exeter has some of the best preserved medieval architecture in the southwest, not to mention one of its most impressive cathedrals. And if you’re really looking to get away from it all, the wild expanse of Dartmoor National Park makes the perfect place to escape the summertime crowds.
The South Devon Coast offers the best of the British seaside.
Though it’s often eclipsed by the better-known cities of Bristol and Bath, Exeter is well worth visiting in its own right, with a thriving nightlife, a lively cultural scene and a rich history stretching back 2000 years.
Britain is historically a nation of seafarers, and nowhere is this maritime heritage more obvious than at the port of Plymouth, from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World and Sir Francis Drake allegedly eyed up the Spanish Armada...
If you thought the British seaside holiday was dead, then think again; it’s alive and well along the stretch of coastline between Torquay, Paignton and Brixham collectively known as the English Riviera.
After spending a few days exploring the gentle coastline of south Devon, Dartmoor comes as something of a shock to the senses.
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