Page 115 - demo
P. 115
The West
Return to the Main Index
The West Country – mostly Devon and Cornwall – is one of Britain’s most popular
destinations for tourists and Brits alike. And for good reasons. The climate, the dramatic
scenery, the history.
The climate – it’s sub-tropical, which explains why the British are keen to get down there. A mite
too keen on holiday weekends . . . that’s not a good time to visit. Let them have it all to
themselves, tens of thousands of themselves.
The scenery – magnificent coastlines, inland a scenic salad of wild moorland, rolling hills and
deeply-cut river valleys.
On the north coast are sandy beaches, precipitous cliffs dotted with little villages. Move inland and
you have the dark, brooding presence of Dartmoor, home to one of England’s most fearsome
prisons but also to an amazing variety of wild life.
The south coast is so different – palm trees and subtropical flowers flourish under the eaves of the
rocky, granite uplands of Dartmoor.
The history – smugglers and miners in constant conflict with the local gentry. Great houses, mine
workings active and worked out, gardens revelling in the warmth of a balmy Atlantic current just
offshore.
Trawl through the smorgasbord of attractions listed over the next few pages . . . two days or ten, you’ll love
every moment.
