Sights and Scenes: Exeter and surroundings

Images of England's West Country

30 Mar 2015 | From Ilona of UK

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Somerset, and the City and County of Bristol, while the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire are also often included. Some usages of the term include wider areas, while others are more specific, though with little consistency of definition.

Landmarks:

• Exeter Cathedral, founded in the early 12th century, became Anglican during the 16th-century English Reformation. It is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter.

• Dawlish Warren is a small seaside resort near the town of Dawlish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon in England. This area is situated at the mouth of the River Exe in South Devon.

• Dawlish is a town and civil parish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon.

• Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon. Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Britain.

• Topsham is a suburb of Exeter in the county of Devon, England, on the east side of the River Exe. Formerly a major seaport, the town is now of interest for its architecture, scenery and proximity to nature reserves for wading and migrating birds.

• Budleigh Salterton is a small town on the coast in East Devon, England, 15 miles south-east of Exeter.  It provides beautiful coastal walks and a large wild bird sanctuary on the estuary.

• Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort in East Devon, England, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe. The town is defined by the sea and river frontages. It has a wide range of architecture, ranging from small cob cottages in parts of the town that were once villages and are now incorporated into it, such as Withycombe, to the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian town houses.