Of all the
counties of England, Devon must surely offer the most variety, and the traveller
who makes Devon their destination must decide which part will interest them
most and concentrate on that.
As a child, I
spent several family holidays in Devon, mostly
on the north coast around Ilfracombe and Combe Martin. As a teenager I once
cycled around Devon, crossing both Dartmoor and Exmoor,
and in more recent years I have spent holidays in the south of the county. The
contrast is dramatic!
Dartmoor
Let’s start
with the moors. Dartmoor (see photo) is wholly contained with Devon, to the south of the
county, whereas Exmoor, on the north coast, is shared with Somerset. Dartmoor is noted for its eerie
granite tors that stick up above the bleak, rain-swept moorland, populated
mainly by sheep and the hardy Dartmoor ponies.
This is where Arthur Conan Doyle set the famous Sherlock Holmes story, “The
Hound of the Baskervilles”, and also where the Army trains its soldiers to the
peak of toughness. A day spent on Dartmoor in
the rain will show you why! It will also explain why Princetown, at the heart
of the moor, is home to one of Britain’s
toughest prisons.
Exmoor
Exmoor is
gentler in its features, and is mostly covered in heather and gorse, but it
still has the true feeling of a wilderness about it, and it also has its own
breed of pony running wild across it. You can also see red deer here. This is the setting of R D
Blackmore’s famous novel “Lorna Doone”.
Unlike
Dartmoor, Exmoor has a coastline, with cliffs that are the highest in England,
reaching to 820 feet. The coast road offers a fascinating drive but it must be
negotiated with care, as it has the steepest gradients of any main road in the
whole country. However, the true beauty of the coast cannot be appreciated from
a car; you need to walk along the many coastal paths that twist through the
woods to the west of Porlock, or you can explore the Valley of the Rocks near
Lynmouth, where wild goats clamber about.
The rivers
that descend from Exmoor are steep and wild,
especially after heavy rain. In 1952, several lives were lost when the two Lyn
rivers flooded and swept away a number of buildings in the coastal fishing village of Lynmouth. At the top of the cliff is the
small town of Lynton,
and there is a fascinating cliff railway that connects the two. This climbs 600
feet powered by the weight of water; one car with its tank full descends as a
second car is pulled upwards and they cross at the half-way point.
North Devon
Further west
there are magnificent, unspoilt beaches at Woolacombe and Saunton. These face
west towards the Atlantic and are popular with
surfers, while the sand dunes are havens for wildlife.
Further west
still is the amazing village
of Clovelly, where the
main cobbled street is too steep for cars, and donkeys were traditionally used
to haul goods up and down. The village is privately owned and a fee is charged
to visitors. This helps to preserve the village as it was in the 19th
century when only fishermen lived here.
Central Devon
The central
part of Devon, between the two moors, is rolling countryside of deep peace,
laced by streams and the orchards of the cider industry. There are fascinating
market towns, such as South Molton and Great Torrington (where you can see
traditional glassmaking at the Dartington Crystal factory), and further west
are the estuary towns of Barnstaple and
Bideford.
South Devon
Devon shares
with Cornwall the distinction of having coasts
to both north and south, but the south Devon
coast is of a very different nature to its north coast. For one thing, it has a
markedly different climate, with North Atlantic gales being replaced by balmy
breezes, especially in the sheltered area around Tor Bay.
Palm trees and other exotic vegetation can grow here in what is known as the
“English Riviera”, and it is no surprise that the adjoining towns of Torquay,
Paignton and Brixham are very popular with tourists who seek sunshine and
beaches. These are also excellent waters for sailing, both at sea and in the
broad estuaries of the Exe and Dart rivers.
Children who
get bored with sitting on the beach all day can also be entertained by visits
to castles such as those at Dartmouth
and Totnes, and river trips by boat.
Further south
are the quieter beaches of Slapton Sands (where the D-Day landings were
rehearsed and from where much of the invasion fleet departed) and the peaceful
resort of Salcombe. The area is full of tiny, remote villages connected by
narrow, winding lanes.
East Devon
In the far
east of the county are quiet resorts such as Seaton, Sidmouth and Budleigh
Salterton, the carpet-making town of Axminster and the lace-making town of
Honiton. An interesting attraction at Seaton is an electric tramway alongside
the Axe estuary, which provides excellent views of wading birds at close
quarters.
Devon cities
The only two
places of any size in Devon are the cities of Exeter,
to the south-east, and Plymouth,
to the south-west. The ancient and compact city of Exeter boasts a splendid cathedral, founded
in 1070 and rebuilt in the 13th/14th centuries. It is
famed for its vaulted ceiling and its stained glass, although much of the
original glass was lost during World War II.
Plymouth is
renowned as a naval base, from where Sir Francis Drake sailed to defeat the
Spanish Armada in 1588 and from where the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America in
1620. A visit to Plymouth Hoe is a must, not only to see where Drake insisted
on finishing his game of bowls before tackling the Armada, but for the
magnificent views over Plymouth Sound, the Channel, and westwards into
Cornwall.
Transport
It has to be
admitted that south Devon is better served by transport links than the north.
The only airport of any size is at Exeter, the
best roads into Devon lead to the south of the county, and the rail links also
go to Exeter and Plymouth. On the other hand, this makes north
Devon more attractive for people who want to
avoid the crowds.
Accommodation
As far as
accommodation goes, the largest and most luxurious hotels will also be found in
the south, in places like Torquay and the two cities. However, for people who
are happy with small hotels, bed and breakfast, self-catering cottages, or
camping, the north is perfectly accessible.
Depending on
the sort of holiday you prefer, whether touring from place to place or staying
in one centre, you may decide that the north is preferable to the south, or
vice versa. The thing about Devon is that not only does it provide you with a
huge contrast of places to go and things to do, but you also have plenty of
choices as to how to experience this most delightful of English counties.
© John
Welford
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