The GoUK.com Guide to areas in the UK

Southern England ¦ South West England ¦ Central Southern England ¦ South East England

South West England

The South West of England covers the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. It includes the national parks of Dartmoor and Exmoor, quaint villages with thatched cottages set in rolling countryside and the historic Roman city of Bath. The coast has excellent beaches, famous seaside resorts, unspoilt fishing harbours and stunning sea view walks. The South West often enjoys an “Indian summer” – a long, warm and sunny autumn and tropical plants like palm trees flourish on the coastal areas.

SOMERSET

Somerset has beautiful countryside with rolling hills and wooded river valleys, the Exmoor National Park, the Somerset Levels, moors, and varied coastline. There are five hill ranges – the Blackdowns, Mendips, Quantocks, Poldens, and the Brendons. The Levels is a flat wetland area to the south west of the Mendips.  Wells, with its magnificent cathedral is the smallest city in England. You can see Cheddar Cheese being made in Cheddar gorge or have a tour at one of the Somerset cider producers. The giant at Cerne Abbas, an enormous fertility symbol carved into the hillside, has splendid views of the countryside.

DORSET

Dorset is a picturesque county with pretty thatched cottage villages and leafy lanes. Most of the land is devoted to arable and dairy farming. In East Dorset lies the picturesque New Forest where ponies roam the heath land. The cosmopolitan and lively resorts of Bournemouth and Poole with large expanses of clean sandy beach are on the beautiful Dorset coastline.

DEVON

Devon is one of the largest counties in the UK with varied scenery. It has rolling countryside with small fields, quiet country lanes lined with hedgerows, pretty thatched cottage villages and wooded valleys. Dartmoor National Park in south Devon has stunning scenery with wide open moorland and granite tors. Dartmoor ponies can be seen roaming the moor. Devon has unspoilt fishing villages – Clovelly with its steep cobbled streets and harbour is a one of the most visited villages. Devon has clean beaches with the surf beaches in North Devon and popular seaside resorts in the sheltered South Coast including Torbay and Paignton.

CORNWALL

Cornwall is almost an island, surrounded by sea and separated from the rest of England by the River Tamar. The Cornish Coastal Path which runs round Cornwall from the north to the south has beaches with large expanses of sand. There are castles, Victorian mines, popular resorts, fishing villages and gardens around the coast. A popular destination is Lands' End which is the most westerly point in England. (For the most westerly point of mainland Britain, see the note below.) Inland lies Bodmin Moor with its windswept uplands, the Tamar valley, china clay pits near St. Austell and the cathedral city of Truro. Cornwall has many historical sites including stone circles, iron age forts, villages and grand houses. Cornwall, being in the south of the UK and with the Gulf Stream influence, has mild weather.