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Devon tourist information
Devon tourist information
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 it's 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 318m (1043ft) hill with a cliff-face of 250m (820ft), while the
"Little Hangman" has a cliff-face of 218m (716ft). 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:
Dawlish Sea Wall, fine examples of wind blown 'Young Red Sandstone' deposits with Langstone rock, a 250 million year old Conglomerate rock
Exeter Castle is situated on an old volcano (volcanic rocks were used in the construction of the Roman buildings) and there are fine exposures of Limestone in Torquay.
Along with its nearby neighbours of North Cornwall and the Gower Peninsula, North Devon's magnificently curved Bideford Bay is one 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, Staunton and Westward Ho! 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 Staunton 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 Geological Tourism
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Devon
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Devon - updated May 2024
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Devon Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.