Plymouth, Devon / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Herry Lawford

Amongst the Devon coastline, other UK towns that are popular for retirement are Eastbourne, Bournemouth and Blackpool. The only seaside town in the South that really shakes the retirement reputation is Brighton. So can Devon compare to the Bright lights of Brighton, or is it edging ever closer to the older average age of Eastbourners?

Devon Towns

The county of Devon is divided in to small villages and towns, the largest in order, being Plymouth, Exeter and Torquay. The smallest Parish of Hatherleigh has a population of just over 1300, and the mid weight towns of Ilfracombe and Dartmouth have an average population of 10,000. Plymouth is twice the size of Exeter and has around 240000 residents.

Plymouth

Plymouth is famous for its Gin, is a naval City steeped in History and also home to a large University. Thanks to the high population of students, there’s a fair share of bars and clubs, but the city is also popular with tourists who want to see where some of the world’s most famous explorers in history set sail. Plymouth is neither young nor old.

Exeter

Another university city, Exeter is a little more cosmopolitan than Plymouth and has a higher concentration of bars in the centre, as well as being a better centre for art and theatre. Exeter has a younger and more creative buzz to it than Plymouth and most other areas of Devon.

Exeter Cathedral / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Phillip Capper

Dartmouth

A medium sized Parish sat on the mouth of the river Dart, Dartmouth is a popular place for romantic weekends away in Dartmouth cottages and riverside apartments, and is likely to be more popular with the more regular travellers and those with an interest in sailing and water sports. Dartmouth has a good mix of country walks, relaxed nightlife and things to see and do in the day so is popular with couples and families.

Torquay

Torquay enjoys 22 miles of coastline and sandy bays, so is really popular with anyone interested in water sports, which are readily available to try in the area. Torquay is firmly on the radar of surf enthusiasts and is home to several surf schools and webcams that can be accessed across the world for the keenest of surfers to check out the waves. And with the surfing culture comes parties, new pals and a groovier pace of life.

So Devon; Surfer’s paradise of Senior Settlement? Neither. It seems Devon has plenty to offer visitors of all ages in each of its unique areas, so there is never a better reason to see what’s on offer in Devon when you book your next UK break away.

Lara Moreton is a travel writer who has travelled most of the UK coastline looking for the best beaches. Lara is a keen conservationist.

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The largest of these rocks is called Yes Tor and rises to a height of 620 meters above sea level. The local peat bogs are among the largest in Europe. There are herds of ponies running free across the protected area, which serves also as a granite mine. You can also find here a number of prehistoric monuments.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Mark A Coleman

Like for the whole Britain, also for this area is typical a fog, which occurs suddenly, absorbs the surrounding countryside and suddenly disappears as well. Dartmoor landscape has always been an inspiration for writers and ideal for creating mystical and sometimes spooky stories. The park is connected with many legends about the mysterious unknown characters and bloodthirsty monsters. It is a place where the legend about a Baskervilles Dog was born. There are constant rains, strong winds, foggy weather and damp. Gloomy atmosphere of this area is also doubled with the famous Dartmoor prison, which was built in 1806 here and was used for the prisoners of the Napoleonic wars. The local largest village of Princetown once served as a hostel for prison staff.

Since 1951, Dartmoor National Park includes also a huge swamp of the total size of 945 km2. First settlements dating back more than 10 000 years, when it was still densely forested plateau. The felling of local forests started in the Stone Age, when the hunters and gatherers tried to get as close as possible to the animals. Also the first agricultural settlements were established here in the Early Stone Age. During the Bronze Age was that landscape completely without forests. There were found the remains of settlements from the Bronze Age, such as houses, yards, burial grounds, megalithic series, stone circles and obelisks having religious significance. There are also the remains of stone walls that were delimiting the pastures and fields, which prove the early human existence. The objects that people used everyday, such as ceramics, various metal objects or bones, were unfortunately not preserved at all.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Tomorrow Never Knows

Dartmoor National Park protects a number of rare habitats. The central part of Dartmoor is composed of a large marshy area. The surrounding terrain is a combination of moorland and meadows, and in the valleys you can find oak forests. Typical for this landscape are also granite rocks – “tors” and roaring rivers falling into deep gorges, cave systems and limestone ridges. There were found the remains of prehistoric animals in the local caves. This collection of the remains is one of the largest in Great Britain and its age is estimated to more than 150 thousand years. For example, in a cave Joint Mitnor Cave were discovered the bones of hippos, hyenas, lions, wild pigs and even Straight-tusked Elephants.

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