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The West Country

  England, The West Country

The West Country: -

Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Western Dorset, Isles of Scilly.
The South West Tourist Board
Woodwater Park, Exeter EX2 5WT (tel: (0870) 442 0830; fax: (0870) 442 0840; e-mail: post@swtourism.co.uk; web site: http://www.westcountrynow.com).

Cornwall: The superb West Country resorts, together with 1000km (650 miles) of varied and spectacular coastline, have always been a great attraction for holidaymakers.
The coastline of Cornwall, which has both the southernmost and westernmost points on the English mainland, is characterised by tiny harbours, rocky headlands and magnificent cliffs. The north coast, washed by Atlantic breakers, has particularly good stretches of fine golden sandy beaches. Bude, the picturesque harbour at Boscastle and the clifftop castle at Tintagel are worth visiting. Newquay is the region's main resort, and has excellent beaches, good shops and hotels that combine the best of old and new. Beloved by surfers, Newquay's Fistral Beach hosts several surfing events. The Newquay Surfing Festival takes place in May, and the British National Surf Championships are in August. St Ives is an old fishing port and a delightful holiday centre.
The south coast is in complete contrast, generally less dramatic, with many wooded estuaries, sheltered coves, picturesque fishing ports and several popular resorts. There are excellent facilities for sailing and deep-sea fishing at Penzance and Fowey. Falmouth, a town of many beaches and several beautiful gardens, is the main resort. Mevagissey and Looe are fine examples of traditional Cornish fishing ports. The coastline is also notable for its old smuggling villages, such as Coverack.
Inland Cornwall consists mainly of flower-bordered lanes, gentle valleys and granite-capped moors. The three main towns inland are Bodmin, Launceston and the cathedral city of Truro. Bodmin Moor is an area of stark natural beauty, and the setting for Daphne du Maurier's famous novel Jamaica Inn.

Isles of Scilly: The Isles of Scilly lie 50km (30 miles) off Land's End. Though there are about a hundred of them, only five are inhabited. They are a popular holiday destination, as the climate is warmer and more temperate than on the mainland. The tourism industry was undoubtedly boosted when, during his prime ministership, it became known that Harold Wilson had a holiday home there. Horticulture is now the islands' second-largest industry. Boat trips to visit the smaller islands are popular, particularly from St Mary's, the largest of the islands. The Isles of Scilly can be reached by ferry or helicopter.

Devon: The area known as the English Riviera comprises Torquay, Brixham and Paignton. The major city in this region is Plymouth, a principal English seaport for over 500 years and the place where Westcountryman Sir Francis Drake famously finished his game of bowls before setting sail to defeat the Spanish Armada. In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers set out for the New World from Plymouth on the Mayflower, and parts of the town dating from this period still survive. Seaside trips in this region can also be combined with holidays inland into the peaceful wilderness of the Dartmoor National Park where native wild ponies roam freely across a beautiful landscape dotted with prehistoric remains. The county town, Exeter, has a long history and there are remains of Roman walls, underground passages, a beautiful cathedral and the oldest Guildhall in the Kingdom.

Western Dorset: Virtually all of the coast and much of the inland regions of the county has been designated an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'. Along the coast from Christchurch to Lyme Regis there is a fascinating variety of sandy beaches, towering cliffs and shingle banks, whilst inland is a rich mixture of lonely heaths, fertile valleys, historic houses and beautiful villages of thatch and mellow sandstone buildings. Weymouth is the main resort in this part of the country. Inland, the hills of Dorset abound with ancient trackways and early British hill forts; the county town of Dorchester was itself founded by the Romans.
The north of the county is a region of farms, woods and river valleys. The three main towns are Sherborne, Sturminster Newton and Shaftesbury.

Somerset: Another attractive rural county, Somerset has three fine coastal resorts, Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea and Minehead. Much of west Somerset lies within the Exmoor National Park. Attractions in this region include the tiny Culbone Church, the clapper bridge at Tarr Steps, the idyllic villages of Selworthy and Dunster, and Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on Exmoor. The county town of Taunton lies to the west of the county, near the southern end of the wooded Quantock Hills. The county's northern boundary is emphasised by the limestone range of the Mendip Hills. Along the southern edge are the attractions of the Cheddar Gorge, Wookey Hole and the great cathedral at Wells. The south-eastern corner of the county around Yeovil has many historic houses open to the public.
Even in prehistoric times the inland county of Wiltshire proved attractive to early settlers, and the evidence of long occupation - at places such as Stonehenge, Avebury, Old Sarum and others - make Wiltshire the best county for exploring prehistoric remains. In addition, some of England's greatest stately homes are in Wiltshire, including Longleat, Wilton, Lacock Abbey, Corsham and Stourhead. Longleat is a very grand Elizabethan mansion, famous for its lions, and Stourhead, built in 1722, has particularly fine gardens leading down to its own lake.
The city of Salisbury is dominated by the 123m (404ft) cathedral spire, the tallest in England. The grounds of Salisbury Cathedral contain many notable houses that are open to the public. Mompesson House is a perfectly preserved 18th-century home and Malmesbury House was once sanctuary for King Charles II, who was fleeing after the Battle of Worcester in the 17th century. The city has a harmonious blend of gabled houses, historic inns and 18th-century architecture and offers a great choice of hotels, restaurants and shopping. Guided tours can be taken around the city by open-top bus or horse-drawn omnibus. The Barchester Chronicles of Anthony Trollope, which provide an entertaining account of life in a 19th-century cathedral town, are a fictional evocation of Salisbury. The remains of Old Sarum, an ancient city and Norman fortress, can be seen but the most important site is Stonehenge, 3km (2 miles) away on Salisbury Plain. The enormous stones are arranged in an inner and an outer circle, and the site is believed to have been first used as long ago as 1500BC.
Further west there are two cities of note: Bristol, which is one of the largest ports in the country (the Cathedral and St Mary Redcliffe Church are worth seeing, as is Brunel's impressive Clifton Suspension Bridge, which spans the Avon Gorge) and Bath, which is usually regarded as the most elegant Georgian city in the country, and has been immortalised in countless photographs, paintings and novels. The city also has Roman remains and an abbey.
Historical and literary associations can be found in many places throughout the West Country; King Alfred reputedly burnt his cakes at Athelney, while Cadbury may have been Camelot. R D Blackmore's novel Lorna Doone was set in Exmoor (now a national park), while many of Daphne du Maurier's books were set in Cornwall. Lyme Regis, in Dorset, was one of Jane Austen's favourite towns, and, along with Bath, was one of the settings for her novel Persuasion. John Fowles' novel The French Lieutenant's Woman is also set in Lyme Regis. Dorchester is the birthplace of Thomas Hardy, the West Country's most famous literary figure, who immortalised both this town and much of the surrounding countryside - referred to in his books as 'Wessex', the name of the old Saxon kingdom in that area. Hardy's cottage lies 5km (3 miles) out of town. The museum in Dorchester contains many pre-Roman exhibits and a Thomas Hardy memorial room. Maiden Castle, 3km (2 miles) from Dorchester, is one of the most impressive prehistoric sites in the country.