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

Wellington Museum - Wellington, Somerset, England

This fascinating local heritage museum is housed in a historic 17th-century inn and tells the story of people and places linked to the town of Wellington, including the town's association with the Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley. ... more

Featured Historic Hotel

The White Hart Hotel
An 18th century hotel in the centre of St Austell Cornwall that has been refurbished to a high modern standard whilst maintaining most of it's original features. All of our 17 rooms are en-suite and have recently been redecorated to a high standard.

Accommodation Rating: 3
Heritage Rating:
Stay From: £50.00

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

Attraction search

Britain Express Canvas Prints

Castles in Scotland Prints

Stunning UK prints for sale by award-winning photographer David Ross, editor of Britain Express, the UK Travel and Heritage Guide.

Featured Historic Hotel

The Crown at Playhatch
Reading, Berkshire

Heritage Rating:

A charming 16th century Country Inn with an excellent restaurant and luxurious modern accommodation. Set in the picturesque hamlet of Playhatch, nestled between the Thames and the Chilterns area of outstanding natural beauty, yet conveniently close to Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Maidenhead with high-speed rail links to London, the West and … more >>

More hotels in Berkshire >>

National Trust

National Trust membership

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

Membership details

About the National Trust

Crantock (Self catering)