Devon (also known, far less commonly, as "Devonshire") is a large county in England's West Country, bordered to the west by Cornwall and to the east by Dorset and Somerset. Uniquely amongst English counties, Devon has two separate coastlines: to the south, on the English Channel and to the north, on the Celtic Sea and Bristol Channel. These are studded with resort towns, harbours and (more recently) surfing beaches. Devon is also home to two national parks - Dartmoor and Exmoor and includes the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel/Celtic Sea.
The name "Devon" derives from the Celtic people who inhabited the southwest of Britain at the time of the Roman invasion, the Dumnonii. Devon's flag is green, with a black and white cross.
Devon has produced tin, copper and other metals throughout its history. Tin was found in the granite of Dartmoor, and copper in the areas around the moor. In the eighteenth century, Devon Great Consols mine (near Tavistock) was believed to be the largest copper mine in the world.
Devon has the highest coastline in southern England and Wales on its Exmoor seaboard. The "hob-backed" hills of the Exmoor National Park tumble down to the coast on Devon's Bristol Channel coast, culminating at the awesome "Great Hangman", a 318Β m (1043Β ft) hill with a cliff-face of 250Β m (820Β ft), while the "Little Hangman" has a cliff-face of 218Β m (716Β ft). The best way to see these cliffs is from a boat trip from Ilfracombe or (occasionally) Lynmouth or Swansea; the ferry service from Penarth in South Wales to Ilfracombe also passes by this massive coastline (see below).
Devon's Hartland point is the south-west limit of the Bristol Channel; in other words where the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic ocean. The northern limit is St Anne's Head in Pembrokeshire, forty-eight miles from Hartland Point.
Many of the rocks that make up Devon are exceptional geological specimens consisting of the geological period between 416 million years ago and 360 million years ago. It was in homage to this that the period was called the Devonian.
Devon's Geological Sites include:
Along with its nearby neighbours of North Cornwall and the Gower Peninsula, North Devon's magnificently curved Bideford Bay is one of the top surfing attractions in the UK, mainly because just like Cornwall and Gower, Bideford Bay faces westward into the vast Atlantic Ocean. The main surf areas are the white-sand beaches of Woolacombe, Putsborough, Croyde, Saunton and Westward Ho!, one of few place names in the world to contain an exclamation mark. Croyde in particular is rated as one of the best breaks in the West Country, as at low tide it boasts fast, hollow waves - just like Fistral or Langland's Bay Crab Island. Be warned however - in the summer Croyde gets extremely congested (both beach and village) and the car parking prices can seem unreasonable in the extreme. Fortunately, nearby Woolacombe and Saunton offer plenty of parking spaces and beach space.
The larger towns and cities in Devon have small but developing lesbian and gay communities, notably in Plymouth, Torquay and Exeter. Plymouth and Exeter have annual Pride events. In the more rural areas of Devon homophobia can be common and discretion is advised.
The Devon County Council Site has more information on Devon's geology and visiting its geological sites.
Exeter has two main train stations serving the city centre, St. Davids (where most long-distance services call,) and Central. Central, unsurprisingly, is closer to the centre, but the two are within a short walk of one another.
If visiting from Cornwall, the railway will take you across the Royal Albert Bridge from Saltash (in Cornwall) into Devon. When crossing this bridge, you will enjoy marvelous views of the River Tamar, which it crosses.
If visiting from the south, the railway line between London (Waterloo) and Exeter via Salisbury will transport you into east Devon, with connections with other parts of Devon at Exeter (St Davids station).
If visiting from Somerset and places north of London and Bristol, the Great Western Main Line will take you to Tiverton Parkway station (a short drive from Tiverton itself) and then to Exeter. It will then carry on to Newton Abbot (where the line to Torquay and Paignton diverges from the main line) to Plymouth and then to Cornwall.
There are also trains from the Scottish Lowlands and Northern England to Paignton, Plymouth and Penzance.
The M5 is the only motorway to enter Devon. Coming from Bristol from the north-east, it terminates in Exeter, where it continues on as the A38 towards Plymouth and into Cornwall. It also branches off north at Exeter onto the A30 which serves North Devon via Okehampton and then carries on into Cornwall.
The M5 can get very congested during the popular holiday periods and it only takes an accident to bring the whole route to a standstill. If you are travelling to Devon by car it is recommended that you travel either early in the morning or later at night to avoid the holiday build up.
There is a once-daily Megabus service to Exeter from London Victoria (and vice versa), but this ultra-economy service can be very uncomfortable and very late. There are also National Express services from London stopping at Honiton Road Park & Ride as well as the central bus station.
A park and ride service is available, see National Park and Ride Directory.
It is possible to travel to Ilfracombe in North Devon from Penarth and Swansea in South Wales on the paddle steamers Waverly and Balmoral. The Penarth to Ilfracombe journey is particularly scenic, as you also get to see the picturesque towns of Lynton, Lynmouth, the "Valley of the Rocks" and the awesome Great Hangman (the highest cliff in Devon at 318m). Leisurely travelling to Devon on a paddle steamer is certainly superior to driving there on the often congested M5!
Exeter Airport π (IATA: EXT) has regular scheduled direct flights to Paris CDG, Amsterdam, Manchester, Dublin, Aberdeen, Leeds Bradford, Belfast, Jersey, Guernsey, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Glasgow as well as charter and scheduled services to Spain. There are seasonal services from Germany, Croatia, Switzerland and regional cities in France. Air Transat (dead link: January 2023) also operates a scheduled service to Toronto, Canada.
Latitudes and longitudes in Devon can be obtained from an interactive travel map at Stairway to Devon (dead link: January 2023).
The Council's Travel Devon website has the most up-to-date information on buses serving Devon.
Or visit Traveline to plan your journey or look up timetables.
Food Drink Devon is a very useful resource for foodies visiting Devon.
Devon is a very safe place to live and visit. Crime levels are well below the average for England in part a reflection of Devon's rural population distribution. However, there are some impoverished areas of some towns where crime is more common. Occasionally, outsiders can attract attention in local pubs, but this is no worse than in other areas of the country.
The county of Cornwall lies to the west of Devon, Dorset and Somerset to the east and north.
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