01 DIVINE DEVON

The county flag of Devon is no ancient ensign. Unfurled for the first time in 2003, it was the result of a campaign to create a symbol of Devonian pride, which saw different ideas put to an online poll. The winning design (pictured below) is now a familiar one, featuring a black-trimmed white cross against a dominant green background.

These colours are signifiers: black for the high moorland of Dartmoor and Exmoor, white for the salt-spray of the coastline, green for the swelling, numberless hills. The flag may not have history, but it has meaning.

And how. Devon is as green as they come. Call it lush, verdant or emerald, the countryside here holds some of the UK’s most gorgeous rural scenery, from oaky creeks and rolling farmland to craggy clifftops and wild national parks. It has wetlands, woodlands, stunning sandy beaches and no less than five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

But the word ‘green’ carries multiple