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Welcome to the
Devon Visitors' Guide!
If you don't yet know Devon, many
unexpected delights await you. If you've been before, you'll need no
reminders about the beauty and delights that the county holds.
North Devon includes the delightful area
of Exmoor and the wonderful North Devon
coast. It's an unspoilt area, and relatively unpopulated, with imposing
coastline and wide sandy beaches, great for family holidays as well as
surfing, sailing and boating. You can visit tranquil Lundy Island, walk
across beautiful moorland on Exmoor and explore lush river valleys.
Follow the Tarka Trail, based on the locations made famous by Henry
Williamson in his book "Tarka the Otter", cycle along miles of peaceful
cycle routes and enjoy the superb hospitality of this area.
| Our Recommended Restaurant Feature
 "James
Duckett at The Old Custom House", on Barnstaple's revamped Strand
Phone 01271 370123
Email:
oldcustomhouse@tawview.com
Web: www.jamesduckett.co.uk
Chef: James Duckett; Restaurant
Manager: Stefano De Raimondo
Cuisine: Modern European
Current opening times: Dinner from 7.00pm Mon – Sat; lunch from
12.15pm, Tue-Sat.
"James Duckett at the Old Custom House" occupies a wonderful, listed
building on Barnstaple's revamped Strand, overlooking the river Taw.
In earlier days this was a busy port area from where, in Elizabethan
times galleons sailed to join Drake in his defeat of the Spanish
Armada. Now the Strand is a wide and largely traffic free
'boulevard'.
James prepares fine food from local
fresh produce. His lunches are informal and relaxed, served tapas
style with some 15 or so dishes from which to choose. In the fine
weather you may eat outside on the south facing front of the
restaurant on the Strand or in the private rear courtyard.
Dinner in either the downstairs
restaurant or upstairs panelled dining room is a true fine dining
affair with James's dishes lovingly prepared and served. You may
select form a menu of four starters, four main courses and four
deserts all of the highest order which reflect the impressive
background and experience of the chef.
 Since
opening in August 2008, James and his team have established the
Restaurant as a fine dining venue. James came to Barnstaple from the
Ronda area in Spain where he latterly ran his own restaurant and
before that was head chef at the boutique Hotel Casablanca there.
Before going to Spain, James spent two years working in Sydney at
two of Sydney's finest restaurants.
James commenced his career as a
junior chef at a small Michelin starred restaurant near Bordeaux. He
then moved to work at the Café Roux, under the legendary Albert
Roux, at the Grand Hotel, Amsterdam. This led onto an appointment at
the two star Le Gavroche in London under Michelle Roux and later,
positions at L'Oranger, Gordon Ramsey's second restaurant venture;
Fredericks in Islington; and then as part of the team which secured
the second Michelin Star for the Square restaurant in Bruton Street,
London under Philip Howard. James has also worked in the Caribbean
as chef to celebrity guests on a chartered super yacht.
His restaurant manager is Stefano de
Raimondo, who has an impressive front-of-house background in
restaurants in his native Italy and Germany. He has joined James
from Guernsey where he was, until recently, restaurant manager and
sommelier at the Island's only Michelin starred restaurant,
Christophe.
In short, whether you're looking for informal tapas at lunch or fine
dining in the evening, this place will more than satisfy your
expectations and give you a wonderful dining experience. It comes
unreservedly recommended. As always, your comments on our
recommendation are welcome....please email us at the Devon Visitors'
Guide with your comments and feedback:
info"at"devon-visitor-guide.co.uk
(replace "at" with @ - we just do this to stop the spammers!)
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East and West Devon make up the rural centre of this diverse county.
From the bustling and exciting city of Exeter, to the tiniest of
villages, across rolling hills and lush woodlands in the valleys,
central Devon is a delightful area - an agricultural landscape with
small patchwork fields, offering traditional farms in which you can
stay, luxury country hotels, and modern cafes. The blend of tradition
and modernity will suit all holidaymakers, from the most sophisticated
to those who wish for a simple holiday, taking in the bed and breakfasts
of the area or camping as they trek across this traditional English
landscape.
South Devon is a place
of great contrasts, from the World Heritage coastline, where you can enjoy
the delights of beaches, cliffs, rock pools and coast paths, through
traditional seaside resorts such as Torquay and Paignton to the busy
town of Plymouth with so many
maritime links. And the charming estuaries and valleys of the South Hams
will delight even the most experienced traveller, while the grandeur of
Dartmoor National Park thrills all who venture there, its moods changing
with the seasons, yet always thrilling with an imposing magnificence.
To begin your exploration of this amazing
county, look at the menu bar to the left and click on the area of interest
which you'd like to explore. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please
let me know: email me, Rod, on the following email address: info"at"devon-visitor-guide.co.uk
| Our Recommended Accommodation
Feature Hill Cottage – perfect self catering accommodation for 2 to 8 (+2), an
old stone cottage in a large, south facing garden, looking out over the
river Tamar and only a short drive from the North Cornwall coast.
VisitBritain 4 stars and winner of Gold Award from the Green Tourism
Business Scheme means that the property is genuinely
maintained to a consistently high standard by the owners who live nearby
and are on hand and happy to help all guests enjoy their holiday. Hill
Cottage welcomes well behaved pets (up to a maximum of 3 depending on
breed/type).
 Accommodation consists of a large king-size bedroom,
a large double bedroom, and two smaller twin rooms. There's an
upstairs bathroom with bath, separate shower cubicle, and basin, a separate
upstairs WC, plus a downstairs shower room/wc, a utility area with washing machine,
tumble drier, sink and freezer. The sitting
room with has a log burner, TV, freeview and DVD; the separate dining room
has a sofa bed for two people. In the fully equipped kitchen you'll find
the latest appliances, including a cooker with
ceramic hob, plus all the appliances and kitchen furniture you could ever
need, plus a full range of crockery and professional cookware. There's a
beautiful small conservatory which is a real sun trap, with cast
iron garden furniture and views over beautiful open countryside.
There is full central heating throughout the house (although not during
the summer
months), solar panels with ‘green’ electricity back up for dark winter
days and the occasional not-so-sunny summer day !
Outside you'll find a large gravel off road parking area with space for 4 or more
vehicles, 2 large picnic benches with extra plastic garden chairs, a BBQ,
a lockable garden shed for storage of surf boards, cycles and recycling
facilities, an outdoor tap and water butt. The rest is half an acre of garden
laid mostly to lawn in tiers cut into the south-facing hillside leading up
to a small orchard at the top, with a flat triangle of lawn at the front
of the house, all private and surrounded by hedgerows and banks with a
country lane running down one side and farm fields all around.
Prices start at £300 per week or £210 per weekend for a couple using one
bedroom off peak.
If you would like to know more contact the owners direct on 01409 253 093
or visit the website www.selfcateringcottagesdevon.co.uk for more pictures
and details.
The Stone Barn and South Beer Farmhouse are neighbouring self-catering
holiday accommodation, with completely separate facilities. Each has its
own large private, enclosed garden. They can be hired separately or
together: the
Farmhouse sleeps 8 (+2) and the Stone Barn sleeps 10 (+2). By hiring both,
you could accommodate
parties of up to 22 people. See below for details of the South Beer
Farmhouse.
The Stone Barn is a lovely old stone barn converted into luxury holiday
accommodation with serious ‘green’ credentials, located at the heart of
Beer Mill Nature Trails (130 acres of private nature reserve – owners have
won Gold Award from the Devon Wildlife Trust for over 5 years running) and
only a short drive to the North Cornwall coast, off road cycling, Dartmoor
or Roadford Lake watersports centre.
 Accommodation consists of 2 king-size bedrooms (both with ensuite shower rooms), a
further king-size bedroom (with comfy fold away sofa-bed for plus 2), 2
twin bedrooms, family bathroom with roll top bath, overbath shower, toilet
and basin, a further family shower room with walk in shower, toilet and
basin, utility/boot room with washing machine and tumble drier, an open plan
kitchen (fully fitted with everything you
will need to prepare anything from a midnight snack for two to a festive family feast!
The dining
and sitting room is arranged around the huge stone fireplace which houses
a double sided
cast iron log burner.
You'll be cosy with the underfloor heating (from ground source heat pump) throughout the ground
and lower ground floor rooms and triple thermal insulation, all of which ensures a
comfortable ambient temperature throughout the house in spring, autumn and
winter (it's not switched on
during summer months). There's also a set of solar panels with a large hot water tank and green
electricity supply back up ensure hot water supply. Our rainwater harvesting system
feeds the toilets, washing machine and outdoor tap.
There's also a fascinating wildlife activity/games room with activities prepared for you by the Devon
Wildlife Trust, a viewing point for the exciting wildlife cameras which
are located in local wildlife habitat, table tennis and other games.
Outside there's off road gravel parking area for up to 6 vehicles,
a wooden
recycling bin shelter, an enclosed garden with a large
sandstone suntrap courtyard and patio with BBQ, 2 picnic benches and seats
made from reclaimed materials, purpose built dog kennel and run and an outdoor
tap. The rest of the large garden is laid mainly to gently sloping lawn,
surrounded by fencing and newly planted hedgerow.
Prices start at £600 per week for up to 4 people or £400 per weekend for
up to 6 people and increase according to numbers and time of year.
If you would like to know more contact the owners direct on 01409 253 093
or visit the website www.selfcateringcottagesdevon.co.uk for more pictures
and details.
South Beer Farmhouse is a traditional Victorian Farmhouse with high
ceilings and many original fixtures still in place, although carefully modernized to a very high standard. It stands within its own
large, enclosed garden with a small wildlife pond and stone well (both are
securely covered but be aware of the need to watch toddlers).
Accommodation: 4 evenly sized bedrooms (2 doubles and 2 twins all with
comfortable orthopaedic mattresses, there is an extra foldaway bed
suitable for a child) with spacious upstairs bathroom (bath, overbath
shower, toilet and basin).
 Downstairs you'll find the main sitting room with
the original slate fireplace and log burner, a
huge HD plasma TV with DVD, high quality sofas and armchairs with
reclaimed pine coffee table, bookshelves and occasional furniture, a second
sitting room with a leather sofa and double sprung mattress sofa
bed (for plus 2) with an extra TV for use with the video (there's no aerial signal
here),
downstairs shower room/laundry with shower cubicle, toilet, basin, washing
machine and tumble drier, dining room with reclaimed pine refectory table,
original fireplace with ambient lighting, fitted kitchen with dishwasher,
microwave, fridge, split oven and hob, fully equipped with everything from
bread bin to hand blender, stock pot to sieve, quality cutlery and
professional crockery range.
There's central heating throughout, solar panels with ‘green’ electricity back up.
Outside – large, enclosed garden with fabulous westerly views over
beautiful countryside perfect to watch the sun go down with a glass of
wine or a cup of tea!
The paved patio area to the south of property
is completely private, surrounded
by hedges and flowers with lawns and shrubs through the rest of large garden with
BBQ and garden furniture and benches. There is a small wildlife pond
(covered by reinforced mesh) and a stone well (also securely capped).
Outside tap and hose for washing down outdoor equipment/bikes etc. There's
a large open sided barn for parking up to 6 vehicles.
Prices start at £300 per week or £210 per weekend for a couple using one
bedroom off peak.
If you would like to know more contact the owners direct on 01409 253093
or visit the website www.selfcateringcottagesdevon.co.uk for more pictures
and details.
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These are the areas used
in the listings on this website
Featured Attractions! The Best Of Devon!
The National Marine Aquarium at Plymouth
If you want to see a selection of
“everything that lives under the sea” then the National Marine Aquarium
at Plymouth, with its three huge tanks (one, the size of a three-storey
building and the largest in the UK), over 50 live exhibits and displays
of over 4000 animals from 400 species, makes a fascinating day out for
the whole family.
The Aquarium comprises of six zones of
creative and interactive exhibits - Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Reef,
Coral Seas, Weird Creatures, The Shallows and Explorocean. Full of
wonderful marine life and incredible facts from the seas of the world,
you can find out about fish, sharks, octopi, whales, sea turtles, sea
mammals, seahorses, coral and more. The technologically innovative
Explorocean zone is always very popular, featuring over 20 exhibits
including the Aqua Theatre, Ocean Energy and Seabed Futures. This zone
highlights ocean exploration and the all-important aspects of
sustainability.
The Aquarium sets out to be a memorable
inspiration for people to learn more about that which covers over 70% of
our planet – the oceans and seas. Visitors can take a journey from the
local coasts of Britain to the depths of the ocean, learning about
marine life, and gaining a valuable insight into the waters surrounding
this small island of ours and the magnificent and amazing creatures that
inhabit them.
The Devon Bird of Prey Centre, Newton
Abbot
The Devon Bird of Prey Centre id based at
Fermoy's Garden Centre near Newton Abbot and houses an wide-ranging
collection of birds of prey from around the world. Here you can see
falcons, eagles, kites, vultures and hawks at very close proximity, see
them flying free or experience them feeding. It is also possible to try
out the ancient art of falconry for yourself. Weather permitting, there
are flying displays to thrill and enthral people of all ages.
The centre offers various visitor
experiences including the Ultimate Bird of Prey half and full day,
falconry and hawk hunting days and detailed experience courses designed
for people serious about owning a bid of prey themselves, where the
prospective owner can get an appreciation and understanding of the work
involved with ownership.
Staff are always on hand to answer any
questions you may have. A visit to the Devon Bird of Prey Centre is a
truly memorable experience, allowing you to get close to birds you
normally only read about or see on television.
Bicton Gardens
The Grade 1 conserved Bicton Gardens are 60
acres of horticultural magnificence in the Otter Valley and represent
almost 300 years of floral history. The fabulous gardens include an
Italian Garden dating back to 1735, Mediterranean and Rose Gardens, a
Hermitage Garden with an incredible collection of dwarf conifers,
elegant water features and a magnificent arboretum with over 25 British
champion trees. There is also a most attractive palm house from the
1820’s that is acknowledged as being more spectacular than that of Kew
Gardens, together with tropical, arid and temperate houses, all
featuring magnificent and quite unusual species.
There's a countryside museum full of vintage, steam farm vehicles,
extremely well-equipped children's indoor and outdoor play areas, a
small railway and even an all-weather football pitch. And there’s even a
challenging 18-hole mini golf course.
The Jurassic Coast
World Heritage Sites are places of
"outstanding universal value"' chosen by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation. The Dorset and East Devon Coast is
one of the most spectacular of England's World Heritage Sites. Known as
The Jurassic Coast, this area comprises more than 90 spectacular miles
of truly beautiful coast which stretches from East Devon to Dorset. The
rocks along this coast encompass a period of more than 185 million years
of the Earth's history.
World Heritage status was granted because the coast offers a unique
insight into a geological "time line" spanning the Triassic, Jurassic
and Cretaceous periods of the Earth's history. Very different sections
of this coast formed over millions of years through massive geological
events, later assisted by coastal processes which you see as you walk
through this truly beautiful area.
Orcombe Point marks the west edge of the World Heritage Site, and you
can start your journey by seeing the Geoneedle, unveiled by the Prince
of Wales in 2002 to commemorate granting of World Heritage Status to the
Devon and East Dorset coast. The Geoneedle is constructed from stones in
a sequence which mirrors the order in which the rocks were deposited in
the development of the coastline.
The rocks of the Dorset and East Devon Coast record the period known as
the Mesozoic era - the Middle Ages of Earth's history - which is broken
down into the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods of geological
time. These represent the period from 250 million years ago to 65
million years ago. All along the coast, this amazing geology is clearly
exposed and easily accessible.
In Triassic times, which were between 250 and 200 million years ago, the
World Heritage Site was an element of the super-continent called
Pangaea, a landmass which later divided into the continents of our
current world. Dorset and East Devon was somewhere in the desert-like,
dry centre of this unimaginable super-continent. The Triassic was a
crucial period of the evolution of life on Earth. Those sea-going
animals which were able to survive a mass extinction at the end of the
previous geological period evolved and developed; for example, the
dinosaurs evolved around this time and later became dominant during the
Mesozoic Era. By the end of the Triassic, most of the groups of four
legged animals which we know today had evolved, including the first true
mammals.
Pangaea started to split up during the Jurassic Period between 200 and
140 million years ago. The Atlantic Ocean formed to the west of Britain
and the Americas moved away from Europe. The Earth was warm and sea
levels were high, with almost no polar ice caps. The Jurassic rocks of
Devon and the Dorset coast show these marine conditions as varying from
deep to shallow coastal swamps. The geology of this area indicates that
sea levels rose and fell in cycles, with the deposition of deep water
clays, then sandstones and last of all shallow water limestones. The
oceans were relatively shallow in the middle of the Jurassic, which
created a series of islands raised slightly above the shallow shoals,
rather like the Caribbean of today. The oceans deepened as the Jurassic
time period progressed, though they again became shallower at the end of
the Jurassic. This change created a tropical-type swamp environment.
Though you may find that hard to believe right now!
Jurassic animals included Ammonites, a type of mollusc related to the
squid, but with hard spiral shells. These are one of the most common
fossils you can find on the Dorset and East Devon Coast; and in fact,
Portland and its limestone and chalk is where the giant ammonite is
found. As the shallow seas expanded, there was an explosion of life
during which many animals evolved rapidly. Dinosaurs were abundant on
Earth and the dominant animals in the oceans included ichthyosaurs,
plesiosaurs and crocodiles.
During the Cretaceous Period, which extended from 140 to 65 million
years ago, America continued to drift away from Europe, and the Atlantic
became more like it is today in form. The landscape on the World
Heritage Site was somewhat like the Gulf of Arabia today, with lagoons.
As the rocks underneath south-west England tilted to the East, the
nutrient-rich waters of the Atlantic expanded, allowing huge blooms of
microscopic algae to form in these waters. As their exo-skeletons sank
to the sea floor, they gradually formed the pure, white chalk we see in
the area today.
Right across the World Heritage Site you can see the "Great
Unconformity", a time gap between rocks of different ages. In the
mid-Cretaceous the rocks tilted eastwards, and were then gradually
eroded by seas and rivers, especially in the west of the area. And so,
all the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rock history is absent from the
geological timeline in this "fault", and the Cretaceous rocks are
deposited on the eroded rock surfaces of the Triassic period. As you
walk along the coast, this makes interpretation of the time line more
difficult, because the oldest and the youngest rocks on the coast are
found near each other in East Devon.
The Cretaceous saw the largest and most fearsome dinosaurs on the Earth,
but it was also the period when the first flowering plants evolved. A
mass extinction took place at the end of the Cretaceous period which was
critical to the form and animal population of the modern world (although
this is not explicitly recorded in the World Heritage Site). Certainly
it was around this time that the reign of the reptiles - including
dinosaurs - as the predominant life on Earth came to an end; dinosaurs,
marine reptiles and ammonites were some of the species which became
extinct. After their time, the present style of life on Earth evolved,
dominated by mammals, flowering plants and grasses. The earliest
Cretaceous rocks in the World Heritage time line are the Purbeck Beds,
which form one of the most complex rock sequences along the entire
coast. They have given us many fossils including dinosaur footprints and
the microscopic animal teeth. Chalk - calcium carbonate - is the
youngest Cretaceous rock in the Heritage area of the Devon and Dorset
coast - it is located all through the area, and usually has millions of
fossils of animals such as the sea urchin. The varied geology of this
remarkable coast has formed an intriguing laboratory for geomorphology -
the science of the land and the geological processes that made it what
it is. Coastal land is never stable; it changes as the sea and frost
mould it, as rain and human activity subtly alters it. But geomorphology
is looking at longer time periods than that which represents the hand of
man, even though small changes, repeated often enough over long periods
of time, can be powerful agents for change as well. As we all know,
storms and landslips have both formed the shape of the coast and
revealed millions of fossils, which are abundant and easy to find in
this astonishing natural laboratory of geomorphology!
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To feature your site on this page or elsewhere on this website,
please email
suppliers@devon-visitor-guide.co.uk. We'll need a link
back to us from your website. |
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Great prices on hotel rooms in Devon!
Check out the special low price offers at
Late Rooms.com
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