Devon Favorites

  Statue Commemorating William of Orange
by johngayton
 
  • Statue Commemorating William of Orange
      Statue Commemorating William of Orange
    by johngayton
  •   Favorites
    by johngayton
  • Barbican TIC, Mayflower Centre
      Barbican TIC, Mayflower Centre
    by johngayton
  • Pub Frontage
      Pub Frontage
    by johngayton
  • Post Office Entrance
      Post Office Entrance
    by johngayton
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

History of Devon

by grayfo

The Devon name first appeared in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 851 as Defensascir, which appears to be derived from the Dumnonii, the Celtic tribe inhabiting the area. Devon was also called Dunan by the Cornish Britons and Deuffneynt by the Welsh.There is evidence of occupation in the county from Stone Age times onward. Its history starts in the Roman period when it was a civitas. It was then a separate kingdom for nearly 300 years until Wessex took control, when it became a shire. It has remained a largely agriculture based region ever since though tourism is now very important.

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What Is Cycle Touring?

by travelinxs

So what exactly is cycle touring? Or adventure cycling as its sometime referred to. I would define it as a journey where the predominant mode of transport is the bicycle involving at least one night spent somewhere other than the place of origin and final destination. There are probably three different types of cycle touring;A Supported TourThis is joining an organised tour where often all the luggage is carried by a support vehicle and experts are on hand to help with technical and health issues. Credit Card TouringTravelling with minimal luggage and staying over-night in fixed accommodation such as hotels or hostels.Independent TouringFully loaded with everything including tent, cooking equipment, clothing and anything needed to maintain and repair the bike.But who is it for?Virtually anyone. If you can ride a bike, you can go touring. Don't like hills? Try The Netherlands. Too slow?...

Places, People, Pubs #7 - Hartland

by johngayton

Hartland is the peninsula protruding into the Atlantic on the north western corner of Devon, just before the border with Cornwall. The 17,000 acre parish (Devon's 2nd largest), with its 12 miles of stunningly rugged coastline, centres around its eponymous village (which the locals prefer to refer to as a TOWN) and really is one of the places here in Devon to get away from it all.The main road, the A39 (also known as the Atlantic Highway), forms the eastern border of the area as it departs its coastal route at Clovelly to head south towards Bude, thus leaving the peninsula itself without any main roadways. Hartland Village is connected to the mainland (as it were) by a short B-road loop and the rest of the villages and hamlets interconnected by single-track lanes, footpaths and bridleways.This is perfect walking country and offers an amazing diversity of scenery. The coastal footpath...

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Places, People, Pubs! #6 - Widecombe

by johngayton

Widecombe-in-the-Moor sits in the valley of The Webburn River in the heart of Dartmoor National Park, surrounded on all four sides by the high moorland and its rugged granite tors. The village itself is tiny, with a population of perhaps fifty people, tho' the surrounding parish, with its 196 (according to the official website) households, extends outwards covering quite a large area.Widecombe's 14th century church of St Pancras is its most distinctive feature and is commonly known as The Cathedral of the Moor on account of its capacity and its 120 foot tall Gothic tower. The church was built using locally quarried granite and funded by the local tin miners who, from its 14th century origins, had it extended and the tower built over the next 200 years to become the landmark that it is today.The village's other great claim to fame is its annual fair, the world-renowned "Widecombe Fair"...

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Places, People, Pubs! #5 - Lynmouth

by johngayton

Lynmouth, along with its umbilically connected twin Lynton, just has to be my most favourite place on this, or any other, planet.Tucked below the cliffs overlooking its eponymous bay where the rivers East and West Lyn meet the sea on the North Devon coast, Lynmouth spent much of its formative years as a sleepy little fishing village whose catches would be landed for mostly local consumption. As with its twin sister, the village came into prominence in the early 1800's becoming popular as an out-of-the-way tourist destination for the middle and upper classes and especially attracting prominent writers and artists - Thomas Gainsborough, who spent his honeymoon there, described Lynmouth as "the most delightful place for a landscape painter this country can boast". Over the last century or so the village has hit National Press headlines on two occasions: The first, in January 1899, a...

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Places, People, Pubs! #4 - Lynton

by johngayton

Lynton, sitting atop the cliff above its Siamese twin Lynmouth, nestles on the shelf between Countisbury and Hollerday Hills overlooking the half-moon bay which leads out to the Bristol Channel on the north Devon coast. Until the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century the twin towns had a hermit-like existence being relatively inaccessible and servicing only their immediate locale. With the unrest in Europe North Devon gained popularity as a vacation destination for the monied classes and Lynton and Lynmouth became known for their natural beauty and relative isolation, attracting particularly writers and other artists - the poets Shelley, Coleridge, Wordsworth and Southey as well as the novelist R.D. Blackmore (who based Lorna Doone in the area) being amongst the famous visitors at the time. Thus the towns developed as a slightly upmarket tourist destination which is now their main...

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Places, People, Pubs! #3 - Barnstaple

by johngayton

Barnstaple may not be the prettiest town in North Devon but it is unrivalled as the most useful and does have a very definite character. The town straddles The River Taw at the point where it starts to widen with its centre on the north bank, connected to the south bank by its 15th century Long Bridge and has been the administrative, commercial and cultural capital of North Devon for over 1,000 years, gaining Borough status during the reign of King Athelstan in the 10th century.With its fairly central location in North Devon Barnstaple has been a market town for most of its existence and the present Pannier Market (with its adjoining Butcher's Row) was built in 1855, the year after the railway arrived. This centrality also means the town is the transportation hub for the region providing excellent bus services to both the stunning North Devon coast and the equally beautiful surroundiing...

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Places, People, Pubs! #2 - Exeter

by johngayton

Exeter is Devon's county capital and is often referred to as: "The Gateway To The Westcountry". It was the Romans who first recognised Exeter's strategic location (naming it Isca Dumniorum) as a crossing point of the River Exe, basing a garrison here and building a walled fortress, of which remains are still visible in The Rougemont Gardens. Exeter's subsequent development as a city has a very rich history which almost mirrors the whole of England's as the Romans were replaced with variously the Saxons, Danes and Normans. By all accounts it was the Saxons (in the 7th century) who coined the name Exe "ceaster", a "ceaster" merely the name for a town which had previously been occupied by the Romans. The Normans arrived about 1068 rebuilding the Cathedral with its now distinctive twin towers and a castle within the city walls - just to let the local populace know who was in charge! In...

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Places, People, Pubs! #1 - Plymouth

by johngayton

Plymouth is Devon's largest city with a population of about a quarter of a million and is tucked in the county's south-western corner nestling against the border with Cornwall. Plymouth's development as a city is due to its location on its eponymous Sound, between the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar, which is one of Europe's largest natural harbours. Thus the city has a long maritime history and has been a naval dockyard for about 500 years.It was from Plymouth that The Pilgrim Fathers sailed for America in 1620 and where Sir Francis Drake reputedly finished his game of bowls before sailing to defeat The Spanish Armada in 1588. Because of its importance as a naval dockyard it was targetted by The Luftwaffe during World War 2 and the city centre all but levelled during the 1941 blitz.The modern Plymouth has therefore evolved from very much a "tabula rasa", beginning with the visionary...

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Our Travels in Devon

by Bwana_Brown

On our Christmas 2005 trip (indicated by the Blue route along the north coast), we had been blessed with a sunny day for our drive from 'Bradford-on-Avon' (red dot), all the way across 'Somerset' and finally into 'Devon' as we entered the western edge of Exmoor National Park (shown in green) before calling it a day in Barnstaple (orange dot). Unfortunately, our luck did not hold the next day and it turned out to be a cloudy but mostly showery day as we continued onward to Truro, Cornwall where we linked up with the Black route from our February, 2004 trip. The pointer indicates the location of Exeter, the major city and capital of Devon, where we have stopped for a night on previous trips. Just to the west of Exeter, but inside the green Dartmoor National Park is where we had our lunch in Moretonhampstead. In 1990 we also enjoyed a day on the coast at Sidmouth, just east of Exeter on the...

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Related Devon Favorites Tips

Top 3 Hotels in Devon

Dudley Hotel  Plymouth

 1 Review and 48 Opinions  Plymouth is a place that work causes me to pass through quite often and so over the years I've had... 

 Hotels in Plymouth

Holiday Inn Express Exeter  Exeter

 1 Review and 180 Opinions  We stayed here because it was relatively cheap, and quite close to Andrew's family, who we were... 

 Hotels in Exeter

Braddon Hall Hotel  Torquay

 1 Review and 56 Opinions  We have recently spent a fantastic 3 night stay at the Braddon Hall Hotel and look forward to... 

 Hotels in Torquay

744 Hotels in Devon
 
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Reviews and photos of Devon attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Devon sightseeing.

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Favorites: Cities in Devon
  1. Torquay Favorites
  2. Plymouth Favorites
  3. Exeter Favorites
  4. Ilfracombe Favorites
  5. Paignton Favorites
  6. Lundy Island Favorites
  7. Dartmoor National Park Favorites
  8. Exmouth Favorites
  9. Woolacombe Favorites
  10. Sidmouth Favorites
  11. Dartmouth Favorites
  12. Barnstaple Favorites
  13. Teignmouth Favorites
  14. Dawlish Favorites
  15. Totnes Favorites
  16. Budleigh Salterton Favorites
  17. Tavistock Favorites
  18. Brixham Favorites
  19. Widecombe in the Moor Favorites
  20. Clovelly Favorites
  21. Slapton Favorites
  22. Great Torrington Favorites
  23. Hartland Favorites
  24. Mortehoe Favorites

More Cities in Devon

 

Questions and Answers

woadl profile photo

Q:  Hello, I am planning a trip to the UK and I am taking my 75 year old father back to meet up with his sister and husband. I would... 

Geoff_Wright profile photo

A: G'day Brian, and a big welcome to this great travel site. Devon is one of the biggest counties in the UK, and I think you should expand your question a little. For... 

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