Must-see attractions in Devon & Cornwall

  • ST AUSTELL, ENGLAND - JULY 2, 2019: Eden Sessions music concert at Eden Project eco visitor attraction in Cornwall, England.
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    Eden Project

    South Cornwall

    Looking like a cross between a lunar landing station and a James Bond villain's lair, the gigantic hemispherical greenhouses of the Eden Project have…

  • August 23, 2018: Ceiling inside the St Ives Tate Modern art gallery.

    Tate St Ives

    St Ives

    After an 18-month, multimillion-pound refit, St Ives' most illustrious gallery reopened its doors, complete with a monumental exhibition space that's been…

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    Exeter Cathedral

    Exeter

    Magnificent in warm, honey-coloured stone, Exeter's cathedral is one of Devon’s most impressive ecclesiastical sights. Dating largely from the 12th and…

  • Laying down Giant at the Lost gardens of Heligan, Cornwall, England

    Lost Gardens of Heligan

    South Cornwall

    This is Cornwall's real-life secret garden. Formerly the family estate of the Tremaynes, Heligan's magnificent 19th-century gardens fell into disrepair…

  • Trelissick

    South Cornwall

    Grandly located at the head of the Fal estuary, 4 miles south of Truro, Trelissick is one of Cornwall's most beautiful aristocratic estates, with a formal…

  • 21 June 2017: Exeter, Devon, England, UK - Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, Queen Street, Exeter.
Albert Memorial Museum Exeter UK - stock photo
RAMM

    RAMM

    Exeter

    A fixture on the city's cultural scene since Victorian times, this hulking red-brick museum recently received a £24 million revamp. It's a treasure trove…

  • Plymouth, Devon, UK - August 3rd 2019: National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth, UK. Bright sunny day, day time photo.

    National Marine Aquarium

    Plymouth

    The UK's biggest – and perhaps best – aquarium is lodged beside the Barbican harbour. There's a huge amount to see, but the highlight is the impressive…

  • Plymouth England August 2020.  The fish market with the deep sea fishing fleet moored alongside the quay. Boats registered in Plymouth and Brixham. Light cloud

    Plymouth Fish Market

    Plymouth

    Around 60,000 tonnes of fish pass through this market, making it the second biggest by volume in England after London's Billingsgate. It's an amazing…

  • Rame Head

    South Cornwall

    A great bulk of rock topped by a picturesque clifftop chapel, Rame Head is another of Cornwall's most majestic coastal viewpoints, with a jaw-dropping 360…

  • St Mawes Castle

    South Cornwall

    Strategically sited to command an uninterrupted field of fire over the entrance to Falmouth Bay in tandem with Pendennis Castle, on the opposite side of…

  • Whitsand Bay

    South Cornwall

    Small coves dot the coastline of the Rame Peninsula, but for a proper stretch of sand, this huge – and undervisited – bay is the place. Pronounced…

  • Potager Garden

    South Cornwall

    It's a bit of a drive from Falmouth but this gorgeous kitchen garden near Constantine is well worth the detour. Rescued from dilapidation by its current…

  • Garden House

    Dartmoor National Park

    The enchanting blend of landscapes here make this garden one of the best in Devon. Its 3 hectares encompass wildflower meadows and South African planting,…

  • Paignton Zoo

    Torquay

    This innovative, 32-hectare zoo is by far and away Paignton's top draw. Spacious enclosures recreate habitats from savannah and wetland to tropical forest…

  • Leach Pottery

    St Ives

    While other St Ives artists broke new ground in sculpture and abstract art, potter Bernard Leach was hard at work reinventing British ceramics in his…

  • Plymouth Hoe

    Plymouth

    Francis Drake supposedly spied the Spanish fleet from this grassy headland overlooking Plymouth Sound (the city's wide bay); the bowling green on which he…

  • Lydford Gorge

    Dartmoor National Park

    This plunging gorge is the deepest in the southwest, and can be reached via a 1.5-mile rugged riverside hike past a series of bubbling whirlpools …

  • Fishing vessels and terraces of Pubs and restaurants, Barbican, Old harbour, Plymouth, Devon - stock photo

    Barbican

    Plymouth

    For a glimpse of ancient Plymouth, head down to this historic harbour area, where part-cobbled streets are lined with Tudor and Jacobean buildings, and…

  • PLYMOUTH, DEVON, UK - January 25 2020: Plymouth Gin Black Friars distillery entrance on Southside Street

Plymouth Gin Distillery

    Plymouth Gin Distillery

    Plymouth

    This heavily beamed distillery has been concocting gin since 1793, making it the oldest working producer of the spirit in England. Four to six tours per…

  • TYFKFC Family including children / kid / kids and young girl follow a group trip around Exeter's underground passages and tunnels, interesting destination for family tour of these ancient cut and cover tunnel network. UK (109)

    Underground Passages

    Exeter

    Prepare to crouch down, don a hard hat and possibly get spooked in what is the only publicly accessible system of its kind in England. These medieval…

  • Charlestown Shipwreck & Heritage Centre

    South Cornwall

    Charlestown's seagoing heritage is explored at this fascinating museum, which houses a massive collection of objects and ephemera recovered from more than…

  • Kents Cavern

    Torquay

    Expect stalactites to drip water on your head and temperatures to dip to 14°C in these atmospheric caves. Hour-long guided tours lead through a maze of…

  • Babbacombe Model Village

    Torquay

    There are 413 tiny buildings, inhabited by 13,160 even tinier people, on display at this Lilliputian attraction, the epitome of English eccentricity…

  • Cornish Seal Sanctuary

    South Cornwall

    The ‘ah’ factor goes into overdrive at this sea-life centre in Gweek, about 12 miles drive from Falmouth along the Helford River. It cares for sick and…

  • Castle Drogo

    Dartmoor National Park

    Three miles northeast of Chagford, this outlandish architectural flight of fancy was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for self-made food-millionaire Julius…

  • Buckland Abbey

    Dartmoor National Park

    Founded as a Cistercian monastery and abbey-church in the 13th century, Buckland Abbey was one of Henry VIII’s ‘acquisitions’ during the Dissolution of…

  • Port of Charlestown

    South Cornwall

    It's been off-limits for many years to everyone except film crews, but since spring 2017 Charlestown's historic port has reopened to the public. You can…

  • Caerhays Castle

    Caerhays Castle

    South Cornwall

    On the hills above the gentle crescent of Porthluney Beach, this crenellated country mansion was originally built for the Trevanions and later remodelled…

  • St Ives, UK - July 2019: Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden

    Barbara Hepworth Museum

    St Ives

    Barbara Hepworth (1903–75) was one of the leading abstract sculptors of the 20th century and a key figure in the St Ives art scene. Her studio on Barnoon…

  • Trebah Garden

    South Cornwall

    Trebah Garden was planted in 1840 by Charles Fox, younger brother of Alfred, who established nearby Glendurgan Garden. It's less formal, with gigantic…

  • Pendennis Castle

    South Cornwall

    Designed in tandem with its sister castle in St Mawes across the estuary, this Tudor castle sits proudly on Pendennis Point, and was built as part of…

  • Truro Cathedral

    South Cornwall

    Built on the site of a 16th-century parish church in soaring Gothic Revival style, Truro Cathedral was completed in 1910, making it the first cathedral…

  • Restormel Castle

    South Cornwall

    High on a hilltop above Lostwithiel, 9 miles from St Austell on the A390, the ruined castle of Restormel was built by Edward the Black Prince (the first…

  • Glendurgan

    South Cornwall

    Glendurgan was established by Alfred Fox in the 1820s to show off the many weird and wonderful plants being brought back from the far corners of the…

  • Exeter quayside museum, Exeter, Devon, England.

    Exeter Quay

    Exeter

    On fine sunny days the people of Exeter head to the quay. Cobbled paths lead between former warehouses that have been converted into antique shops, quirky…

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    Dartmoor National Park

    Dartmoor National Park

    At first glance, Dartmoor can come as something of a shock to the senses. The largest stretch of open moorland in the southwest, Dartmoor covers an area…

  • The Mayflower Steps at The Barbican in Plymouth south Devon England UK February 2017

    Mayflower Steps

    Plymouth

    The Mayflower Steps mark the approximate final UK departure point of the Pilgrim Fathers – the band of settlers who founded New England's first permanent…

  • 2 June 2018: Devon, UK - Smeaton's Tower is the third Eddystone Lighthouse, built by John Smeaton, which was dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe as a memorial.; Shutterstock ID 1194001051; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Smeaton's Tower

    Plymouth

    The red-and-white stripes of Smeaton's Tower rise from the middle of the Plymouth Hoe headland. For an insight into past lighthouse keepers' lives, head…

  • HJCM51 Great Britain, South West England, Devon, Exeter, Exeter Guildhall, one of the oldest municipal buildings in England still in use

    Guildhall

    Exeter

    The earliest parts of Exeter's Guildhall date from 1330, making it the oldest municipal building still in use in the country. An ornate barrel roof arches…

  • Powdreham Castle, Devon, United Kingdom

    Powderham Castle

    Exeter

    The historic home of the Earl of Devon, Powderham is a stately but still friendly place built in 1391 and remodelled in the Victorian era. A visit takes…

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