Devonshire

Devonshire is a rural county, with stunning landscapes dotted with small towns, villages and hamlets. The land is mainly lush pasture divided by hedges into a patchwork of fields linked with thousands of very narrow lanes and pathways. Steep rolling hills meet deep valleys carved by clear rivers, some of which are tidal. Devon's coastline is varied and is dotted with lighthouses, tiny coves, beaches, steep cliffs and old fishing villages.

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Bicton Park 
The 63-acre Bicton Park Botanical Gardens is one of the country’s most popular gardens, it is also one of the most historic, and is now grade 1 listed. Youngsters, and the young at heart, may enjoy a ride on the miniature steam railway. It might help you find your way around too: the track follows a 1.5 mile route through the site. (Read more...)

Berry Pomeroy Castle
Near the town of Totnes in the South Hams region of Devon lies Berry Pomeroy Castle. Surrounded by thick woodland and sited above a dramatic ravine, it is surely one of the most romantic ruins in the south-west, claiming at the same time, to be one of the haunted castles in the country. (Read more...)

Buckland Abbey
Near the delightfully named village of Crapstone in Devon sits the 700-year-old Buckland Abbey. Originally a Cistercian establishment, it was sold into private ownership as part of Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. Later it became noted for its connection with the legendary English sailor and sea captain, Sir Francis Drake. (Read more...)

Castle Drogo
Castle Drogo is known as ‘England’s last castle’, and is the only grade 1 listed 20th century building in Devon. Sitting on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park, it was commissioned by Mr Drewe, a successful Victorian tea merchant. It was built entirely from granite by Lutyens, the foremost architect of his day. (Read more...)

Compton Castle
In south Devon lies Compton Castle, a 14th century fortified manor house that was the home of the Gilbert family for over 600 years. They still live there, although today the place is owned and maintained by the National Trust. It features original medieval defences and impressive period gardens. (Read more...)

Dartmoor National Park
Dartmoor National Park covers 368 square miles of rugged moorland at the heart of the Devon countryside. The granite landscape was formed by volcanic pressure granite about 400 million years ago. The unusual geological features of the county gave its name to an entire epoch of prehistory: the Devonian period.  (Read more...)

Dartmouth Castle
On the south Devon coast, at the estuary of the River Dart, lies the appropriately named town of Dartmouth, and standing guard above the slopes is the impressively preserved Dartmouth Castle, a late medieval powerhouse that was still active as a defensive military position as late as World War II. (Read more...) 

Exeter
Named after the river Exe that flows through it, the city of Exeter, in the south-west of England, should be explored at any opportunity. With a population augmented by a large student body from the famous Exeter University, it boasts an impressive shopping centre and a vibrant nightlife. (Read more...)

Knightshayes Court
Close to the small town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, in the valley of the river Exe, stands Knightshayes Court. Today the house is owned and maintained by the National Trust, but the ornate décor is a testament to the over-the-top Victorian gothic designer William Burges. (Read more...)