Devon

Devon is in South/West England. It is bounded on the North by the Bristol Channel, on the South by the English Channel and on the West by Cornwall. It is England's third largest county with a stunning landscape of rolling hills, dominated by Dartmoor and Exmoor, upland areas of forests and rugged stone. The rivers Exe and Tamar are the main rivers and form the Cornwall border. The chief port and industrial centre for South/West England, Plymouth is located in this county and is a thriving city. Devon's fertile land is ideal for farming and the coastal position makes for pretty fishing villages. Devon's “clotted” cream and West Country cider are famous worldwide and well worth sampling (go easy on the cider though!). Quiet and picturesque with a mild climate, Devon is a popular tourist and vacation centre often referred to as the English Riviera.

For the visitor, there is much to see, do and savour. The county was occupied in Palaeolithic times and as a result, numerous habitation sites and ceremonial centres have been excavated. Exeter was the Westerly outpost of Roman occupation and Devon was incorporated into Wessex early in the 8th century by King Ine. In Elizabethan times the county reached its greatest maritime importance, being associated with Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, John Hawkins, and Richard Grenville. From Plymouth, many colonists sailed for the new land of America.

Dartmoor National Park is a vast and exhilarating place to visit. It was established in 1951 and covers an area of nearly 370 square miles. Dartmoor offers some of the most magnificent countryside in the United Kingdom. As well as the fantastic views across the beautiful moor land, the charm and the attractiveness of the picturesque towns and villages; Dartmoor is also very well known for the Dartmoor Pony. These ponies have grazed the moor since early in the 11th century and still roam freely today. If you catch sight of a few running wild and free, you will realise how rare this sight is.