Think of the West Country and you imagine rolling green hills, rugged coastlines and that distinct lilt of a Devon or Cornwall accent, soft as clotted cream.
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Devon: Two Coasts, One Heart
Devon is a county of contrasts, with two dramatically different coastlines separated by the wild expanse of Dartmoor National Park. The north shore faces the full force of the Atlantic, with rugged cliffs, surfing beaches, and the historic fishing villages of Clovelly and Ilfracombe. Clovelly, with its steep cobbled street tumbling straight into the harbour, feels frozen in time. No cars are allowed, and donkeys once carried goods up the impossibly steep lanes. The south coast offers a gentler landscape of sheltered coves, sandy bays, and the elegant seaside towns of Dartmouth, Salcombe, and Torquay. At the heart of Devon lies Dartmoor, a national park of granite tors, ancient woodlands, and wild ponies that have roamed the moors for centuries. Walk the trails around Haytor or Wistman’s Wood, and you will understand why so many artists and writers have found inspiration here. The air smells of damp earth, heather, and wood smoke from remote farmhouses. The moor is also rich in history, with Bronze Age burial mounds, medieval clapper bridges, and the remains of tin mines that once made this region one of the wealthiest in England. The city of Exeter, Devon’s historic capital, boasts a magnificent Gothic cathedral with the longest uninterrupted medieval vaulted ceiling in the world, while its underground passageways, built to carry fresh water through the medieval town, offer a unique guided tour beneath the streets.
Cornwall: A Land Apart
Cross the Tamar Bridge and you enter Cornwall, a land with its own language, its own flag, and a fiercely independent identity that has survived centuries of English rule. Lands End, the most westerly point of mainland England, draws visitors not for any grand attraction but for the sheer thrill of standing where the land stops and the Atlantic begins. The cliffside views are dramatic, with the Longships Lighthouse standing offshore and the Isles of Scilly visible on the clearest days. St Michaels Mount, a tidal island near Penzance, offers a medieval castle and sub-tropical gardens that are reachable by foot at low tide. The cobbled causeway appears and disappears with the rhythm of the sea, a daily miracle that has fascinated visitors for centuries. Local guides tell tales of the giant Cormoran, who supposedly built the island and terrorised the surrounding countryside until he was defeated by a local boy named Jack. The fishing villages of Cornwall, from Mousehole to Port Isaac to St Ives, each have their own character and charm. St Ives has long been an artists’ colony, its extraordinary light drawing painters like Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson. The Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden celebrate this artistic heritage. The county is also famous for its surfing beaches, particularly around Newquay, where consistent Atlantic swells draw wave riders from across Europe.
West Country Food and Drink Traditions
No tour of the West Country is complete without sampling its legendary culinary traditions. Devon cream tea means scones, strawberry jam, and clotted cream so thick you can stand a spoon in it. Cornwall insists on its own method, spreading jam first and cream on top, and the great cream tea debate rages amiably in every tea room from Torquay to Truro. The cider tradition runs equally deep. Visit a traditional cider farm in Somerset or Devon to taste rough, cloudy scrumpy that packs a punch far stronger than anything you will find in a supermarket bottle. The orchards themselves, heavy with apples in autumn, are a sight worth travelling for, their gnarled branches laden with fruit in shades of green, red, and gold. Seafood is central to the West Country diet, with crab, lobster, and mackerel landed fresh every morning in harbours across both counties. The famous Cornish pasty, with its crimped edge designed as a handle for miners to hold while eating underground, remains the ultimate portable meal. Modern West Country cuisine builds on these traditions, with Michelin-starred restaurants like Nathan Outlaw’s in Rock and Rick Stein’s in Padstow elevating local ingredients to world-class standards.
Have you ever explored the English West Country? Which part of Devon or Cornwall calls to you most?
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