Come June, the roads in Devon begin to clog up. The steady flow of traffic to/ from Devon and Cornwall continues until September and then the traffic thins out once again. And? Well, it’s a fantastic time to take advantage of the relative peace and quiet to experience the county and, to help, here are our top ten recommendations of things to do in Devon this autumn:
1. Walk the valleys and cleaves around the edge of Dartmoor National Park – Dartmoor has a reputation for being a bit on the bleak side. In parts, this is true, but to see a very different Dartmoor, head to the Teign Gorge or Lustleigh Cleave or Belstone Cleave. These are heavily wooded areas with steep hillsides and clearly the colours come out at this time of year.
2. Make the most the empty(ish) beaches – the beaches of the South Devon AONB, North Devon AONB and East Devon AONB get seriously crowded in the summer months. In Autumn, you get more space. Try Slapton Sands or Bantham Beach in the south, Putsborough Sand or Saunton Sands in the north, Sidmouth (Jacob’s Ladder) Beach or Ladram Bay Beach to the east.
3. If it’s raining, go to a gorge – the best, in our opinion, being the National Trust’s Lydford Gorge and Waterfall.
4. Spend some time in a cave – Devon, fortunately, has a world class cave at Kents Cavern. Grab a guided tour in the UK’s ‘oldest home’. Utterly fascinating stuff. Remember too, that this cave is part of the world’s first urban ‘Geopark’: The English Riviera Geopark.
5. Look up in a cathedral – Exeter Cathedral, to be precise. We spend our lives bumbling around the UK and the vaulting in this catehdral is as good as any we’ve seen.
6. Walk the Jurassic Coast – if you head to Exmouth, you can start exploring the Jurassic Coast via the South West Coast Path. The red cliffs are exceptional against autumnal colours.
7. Head off to the Hartland Peninsula - Why? Beacuse the coastline here can get very woody which means colour. Try the walks around Clovelly.
8. Climb Smeaton’s Tower - Plymouth is an amazing place. The Pilgrim Fathers journeyed to America from here and Drake set sail about fifty years before. Climb Smeaton’s Tower and the history and natural beauty around you are first class.
9. Yomp The English Riviera – we think the Riviera is one of the finest destinations in the UK, let alone Devon. It came as a big surprise to us given all the bad press the area gets but we’d urge you to try it out for a weekend to see for yourself.
10. Head to Exmoor National Park – steep wooded valleys, high cliffs plunging into the sea, the National Park is made for Autumn frankly.
Devon’s massive and this top 10 could quite easily be turned into a top 100 things to do in Autumn. There’s the Tamar AONB which is glorious at this time of year and the Blackdown Hills AONB which is relatively unknown but a cracker, too. You can explore plenty of other options here and we’re still piling on the content for the county with the help of local experts so all suggestions are welcome. Post comments below or @picturetheuk on Twitter. Enjoy!
