Devon: The Best Guide to Exeter, Plymouth, Tavistock, the Moors & Beyond

By Annya Strydom

Home of Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Frances Drake and Agatha Christie, Devon is unforgettable and this book shows you how to experience it in the most memorable ways. Tour the castles, the amazing beaches, the ancient and medieval sites, the moors that are fi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter Publishing
• Release date: Jul 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781556500404

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Devon: The Best Guide to Exeter, Plymouth,

Tavistock, the Moors & Beyond

Devon is a county in the southwest of England, bordering Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to the east. The northern coast of Devon has the Bristol Channel and the Celtic sea which separate it from south Wales. The south coast has the English Channel, which is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. This separates Devon from northern France. The name Devon is said to come from the name of the Celtic people, who were known as the Dumnonii. This means deep valley people.

Devon is a popular holiday destination. It has two coastlines and attractive scenery, with small villages and rolling green hills. Many of the cottages are thatched cob. These are particularly noticeable in the southern part of the county. In the northern part it is very rural with just a few major towns. There are plenty attractions for visitors of all ages. The word cob means a lump or round mass. Building with cob requires the use of hands and feet to form the large lumps of earth, sand and straw. There are thousands of comfortable cob houses around England that have been lived in for many years. The houses are cool in the summertime and warm in the winter.

Many are topped with thatch – a material that has been used for well over 600 years. Thatching is a very skilled art. Most of the thatch used is Devon reed. This is straw from the local wheat crops. Rye was also used in the past. In the 1950’s wheat reed was hard to find, so often water reed was used as a substitute.

GETTING THERE

Road

From London take the M4 to Bristol then the M5 which goes to Exeter in Devon. A more scenic route is the M3 from London and joining the A303. This will take you past the famous Stonehenge. On this route you will also be going through several quaint villages and towns.

Rail

London trains from Paddington and Waterloo have direct services to the west country. http://www.thetrainline.com/buytickets, [phone]

Bus

The National Express has regular services to the west country. There are scheduled services to and from Britain’s airports.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx.

Ferry

Ferries run from various ports in France and also Spain. http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk, [e-mail], [phone].

HISTORY

Following the end of the Ice Age, Devon was one of the first places in England to be occupied by man. They occupied a place which is now known as Torbay, specifically in what is now known as Kent’s Cavern – a cave system. The passages and caverns on the site were actually first created around 2 million years ago.

From about 6000 BC hunters and gatherers were thought to have settled on Dartmoor. There is evidence that farming took place there from 3500 BC. Many Neolithic sites have been found on the moors – stone circles, burial mounds and ancient settlements. The record of the moors is easy to trace since much of it was not ploughed so the artifacts were never ploughed into the ground.

Roman

Although Roman walls are still evident in Exeter, Devon was not as Romanized as other counties in England.

9th Century

By the time the 9th century came, Viking raiders disrupted the peace in Devon. King Alfred the Great fortified Exeter, the capital city, extensively as a defense. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror controlled Exeter.

Norman & Medieval

William the Conqueror’s Barons held many estates throughout Devon. Around the areas of Dartmoor were several hunting residences but in 1242 they were mostly gone. In the 11th to 14th centuries widespread economic growth took place and the population increased. Then came the Black Death in 1348 and villages and hamlets were left empty. A few farms prospered though, raising sheep and cattle.

Modern

After 1650 the town of Plymouth grew and became the biggest city in Devon. Much of this was due to the Naval base. Plymouth played a key role as a Naval port in WWI and in WWII. Devon was a training area for D-Day landings. In WWII the county suffered badly from bombing. As a result, much of Exeter and Plymouth had to be rebuilt.

1676 bought a very harsh winter to the county and great smallpox epidemics soon occurred and many people died. By 1642 people began to be employed in agriculture.

In the 19th and 20th centuries great changes took place; farming and fishing again declined. It was then that tourism started to become popular and holiday cottages popped up everywhere. Dartmoor and Exmoor became National Parks.

Mining:From ancient times Devon was producing tin, copper and other metals. On Dartmoor in the granite outcrops tin was found. Copper was found in the areas around the outcrops. Tin mining on Dartmoor was a thriving industry from pre Roman times through to the first half of the 20th century.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Flag

The flag of Devon is a white cross on a green background. The white is outlined in black. The flag is dedicated to St. Petro.

The Devon Coat Of Arms

The inscription in Latin reads Auxilio Divinio, meaning, With God’s Help. The shield holds a red lion, emblematic of Richard Earl of Cornwall. The upper part of the shield has a ship representing the county's maritime association. The crest has a naval crown because of the association with the Royal Navy. The head of the pony represents the wild ponies which still roam on Dartmoor. The bull on the left symbolizes the agriculture and farming that Devon is famous for. The right-hand supporter is a sea lion, representing the sea that surrounds parts of the county.

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Climate

The climate in Devon is usually quite mild. This is very much influenced by the North Atlantic drift. Snow is rare but there are exceptions, especially on the moors. The winter of 2010 brought heavy snowfalls, which soon disrupted schools and traffic. Summers are generally warm, with hot spells and cool rainy periods. Winters are usually mild because of the latitude. Rainfalls vary across the county.

Food

Devonshire cream tea is a big part of the culture of Devon. Clotted cream is almost always made in the West Country, in Devon, Cornwall or Somerset. The reason they make it in there is because the climate is mild. This, combined with the rich soil and the right breed of cattle, produce milk of a high quality and with a high cream content. The consistency of clotted cream can be likened to that of soft butter. In Devon the cream tea differs from the one in Cornwall. In Devon the cream is put on the scone first and then the jam. In Cornwall they put the jam on first and then the cream. It really is a matter of preference, though, either way, it is a treat well worth indulging in. The scones are halfway between a cake and a biscuit. They are eaten with the cream and jam and a pot of English tea. Sometimes scones are made with fruit in them.