From the Chalk Hill Downs of Wiltshire and Salisbury Plain, the rolling countryside of Somerset and Dorset to the West Country of Devon and Cornwall, the south west of England is famed for its Devonshire Cream, Somerset Scrumpy, Arthurian Legends and the strange and unexplained monuments.
This is an area of England that is synonymous with bright summer days, rolling rural landscapes of sun-bleached straw, thatched cottages and golden coasts of small insular fishing villages and laid back, country folk. It certainly gets some of the better weather of the country and while it is a popular destination, the area’s relative remoteness keeps the number relatively low.
The south west boasts some fascinating sights, Stonehenge and the Avebury stone circle, the monuments of the Cerne Abbes Giant and Uffington White Horse carved out of chalk hills and splendid stately homes and gardens at Stourhead and Longleat. While out in the West Country of Devon and Cornwall you’ll find the rugged wildernesses of Exmoor and Dartmoor, Hound of the Baskervilles territory, while Cornwall’s enthralling character and dramatic coast evokes memories of smugglers and pirates of the past. Cornwall is a land with a very separate identity and up until the 18th Century it’s own language, it’s also, some say, the birthplace of King Arthur.
The glamorous jewel of the South West is undoubtedly the splendid Georgian Spa town of Bath, famous for its Regency architecture and stunningly preserved Roman Baths. Close by is Bristol a city with its own proud maritime and industrial history, and the region has a number of quaint and quirky towns, like Glastonbury and Lacock, picturesque fishing villages such as Clovelly, St Ives and Padstow and small Cathedral cities with splendid medieval architecture like Wells and Salisbury.
The South West is quite a consistent region, in parts, as distinct from the rest of the UK as the rolling accents of its inhabitants.
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