CLICK HERE FOR English Holidays in Devon through exploringengland.co.uk |
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Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to the east. Its coastline follows the English Channel to the south and the Bristol Channel to the north. The main settlements in Devon are the cities of Plymouth,
a historic port now administratively independent, Exeter, the county town,
and Torbay, the county's tourist centre. Devon's coast is lined with tourist
resorts, many of which grew rapidly with the arrival of the railways in the
19th century. Examples include Dawlish, Exmouth and Sidmouth on the south
coast, and Ilfracombe and Lynmouth on the north. The Torbay conurbation of
Torquay, Paignton and Brixham on the south coast is perhaps the largest and
most popular of these resorts, and is now administratively independent of
the county. Rural market towns in the county include Axminster, Barnstaple,
Bideford, Honiton, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Tavistock, Totnes and Tiverton. |