Places to visit and things of interest in South West England. The South West of England is often seen as England’s holiday destination: Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, with their dramatic cliffs and family-friendly beaches; Bath and the pretty Cotswolds – top destinations for overseas visitors, along with Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. Dorset is home to the Jurassic coast and, in fact, there is a coastal path stretching 630 miles between Dorset and Somerset. Our prehistoric ancestors have left their mark in many places besides Stonehenge, and the region also has more than its fair share of castles, stately homes and world-class museums, including the Tank and Fleet Air Arm Museums and Tate St Ives. There are two national parks – Dartmoor and Exmoor, upland areas consisting almost entirely of dramatic moorland.
By the time the soldiers came, the villagers had gone. They had moved, under a blanket of secrecy, to new homes while they waited for the war to end and the troops to leave; while they waited patiently to return to whatever was left of their homes.  But they never went back, not one of […]
We all know what a national park is. Although definitions vary, they are usually rural areas of natural (or naturalised) beauty designated as ‘special’ in some way by their national governments. Normally, the environment within a national park, including its flora and fauna, are protected and there are particular rules about what you can, and
Britain’s National Parks Read More »
All East Midlands East of England North East England North West England Scotland South East South West Wales Yorkshire and the Humber
Burton Bradstock was on the List of Places to See in Dorset. The National Trust guidebook tempted us to visit the beach which, as you may have gathered, is not called Burton Bradstock at all. Burton Bradstock is a ridiculously pretty looking village and the beach, Hive Beach, is a little farther on. Unfortunately, it
Hive Beach at Burton Bradstock Read More »
South West
They needed to break the deadlock. By the end of 1914, men had gone to ground in the wasteland of the Western Front. Perhaps, some thought, a breakthrough would come when the weather improved and cavalry could be used. But attacks through coils of barbed wire against well-defended dug-in positions, from which machine-gun and rapid
There’s a story behind every garden. To avoid disappointment, I have to tell you right away that Tintinhull’s is frustratingly elusive. Let’s start with the basics. Tintinhull is a small village in Somerset, not far from Yeovil, with roots dating back to at least Saxon times. It sits on the route of the Fosse Way,
Tintinhull Garden Read More »
South West
Including Bristol and Bath, the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and the Isles of Scilly. I keep returning to the West Country. Somerset’s worth visiting for the place names alone – where else would you find such choice tongue pleasers as Wyke Champflower, Huish Episcopi, Shepton Beauchamp, Great Shitting (I made that
A bit about South West England Read More »
All South West
There’s a kind of benign magic about Avebury; it’s the sort of place where you can have fun communing with your ancestors. Like faded signposts painted in a language we do not understand, the remains they have left behind are scattered across the countryside in these parts. They point to unknown places and alien lives.Â
