West Country Travel Guide

Historic Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Somerset

Explore

Find historic places to visit and stay in south west England. Explore mysterious Glastonbury with its legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail, or walk the cobbled causeway to magical St Michael's Mount. Visit elegant Bath, with its Georgian architecture and Roman baths, and explore Wells, the smallest city in England, with its glorious cathedral and medieval Bishop's Palace. From the ancient hill figure at Cerne Abbas to the Iron Age hill fort of Maiden Castle, history is never far away.

Major West Country Historic Attractions

Top Heritage-Rated

Glastonbury Abbey Heritage Rating
The Roman Baths
Wells Cathedral
Powderham Castle
Bath

More Major Historic places to visit

Castles
Corfe Castle
Farleigh Hungerford
Pendennis Castle
Restormel Castle
Tintagel Castle
Totnes

Abbeys and Monasteries
Cleeve Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey

Cathedrals
Exeter
Wells

Countryside:
Dartmoor
- Dartmoor Photo Gallery
Exmoor

Historic Houses
Antony House
Athelhampton House
Castle Drogo
Cotehele House
Forde Abbey
Knightshayes Court
Lanhydrock
Montacute House
Pencarrow House
Powderham Castle
Prideaux Place
St. Michael's Mount
Saltram House
Trewithen House

Gardens
Abbotsbury Sub-Tropical Gardens
Coleton Fishacre
Killerton Gardens
Marwood Hill
Rosemoor Garden
Trebah Gardens
Forde Abbey

Ancient Sites
Carn Brea
Maiden Castle
Cerne Abbas Giant

Travel Resources

Tourist Information Centres
Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Somerset

Travel Directories
Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Somerset

Featured Attraction

William Herschel Museum - Bath, Somerset, England

"I have looked further into space than any human being did before me". So said William Herschel, one of the most famous pioneers in the study of astronomy. Herschel lived in this Georgian townhouse and it was here in 1781 that he discovered the existence of the planet Uranus which … ... more

Featured Historic Hotel

The George Hotel
The George Hotel is a 15th century country hotel based in the town of Castle Cary. The hotel itself is situated on Market Place which is the centre of the high street. It is nestled in the beautiful undulating hills of south Somerset. The historic market town of Castle Cary …

Accommodation Rating: 3
Heritage Rating:
Stay From: £65.00

County Travel Guides

Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Somerset

Accommodation

Hotels
Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Somerset - Bath - Exeter - Penzance - Plymouth - Torquay - and many more locations >>

Self Catering Cottages
Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Somerset - and many more locations >>

Bed and Breakfast
Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Somerset

Editor's picks - Top 5 reasons to visit South East England

1. The west front of Wells Cathedral
2. The haunting tors of Dartmoor
3. The water-bound causeway to St Michael's Mount
4. Cycling on the Somerset Levels
5. The gardens at Forde Abbey

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Britain Express Canvas Prints

Castles in England Prints

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Featured Historic Hotel

The Dog at Wingham
Wingham, Kent

Heritage Rating:

The Dog at Wingham was beautifully refurbished in the summer of 2016. Under new ownership the dynamic young team aspire to make The Dog at Wingham the best restaurant & bar with rooms in the area. With eight beautifully appointed en-suite rooms all styled by interior designer Marilyn Bridgen and …

More hotels in Kent >>

National Trust

National Trust membership

Free entry to National Trust properties throughout England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, plus discounted admission to National Trust for Scotland properties.

Membership details

About the National Trust

Penzance (Self catering)