TheWest Country is an unofficial, but popular, name for the South West ofEngland. If you think you know southern England, but haven't ventured beyond theSouth East, the West Country will be a revelation. It is at once more rural and prettier than its crowded neighbour, offering extensive countryside of hills, forest and moorland, hemmed in on three sides by the sea. From the sandy beaches ofDorset, to the creeks and inlets ofDevon, viaSomerset's high cliffs andCornwall's secluded coves, the South West Coast is as diverse as it is long. Large cities are few and far between, but for the cream of the crop, head to vibrantBristol, historic and up-and-comingPlymouth, beachyBournemouth or charmingBath.
In addition to city, countryside and coast, the West Country hosts some of the UK's best-known attractions. While no trip to the region would be complete without a visit toStonehenge, other landmarks includeCheddar Gorge inSomerset and theEden Project in Cornwall. The region's fauna is impressive. A trip out to sea may permit sightings of whales, dolphins and basking sharks; inland you can seek out England's only wild beavers, plus river otters and kingfishers in Devon, rare butterflies and great bustards inWiltshire's meadows and reintroduced wild boar inGloucestershire.
The following counties are generally considered to form the West Country:
| Gloucestershire Quintessential English countryside; from the honey-coloured villages of theCotswolds to the ancient woodland of theForest of Dean, where boar and deer roam. |
| Wiltshire Britain at its oldest and most intriguing - mysterious circles abound, both of the stone and crop variety. Prepare to meet druids, rub shoulders with pagans and bear witness to strange symbols on the chalk hills. |
| Somerset A diverse landscape of gorges, hills, moors and wetland; Somerset is a haven for birdwatchers, cheese lovers and cider fans alike. |
| Dorset From theJurassic Coast to sandyBournemouth, via Portland Bill, Chesil Beach andPoole Harbour, visit one of the UK's finest coastlines. Inland, discover Thomas Hardy's beloved "Wessex". |
| Devon Two dramatic national parks (HolmesianDartmoor and mistyExmoor),Exeter's wonderful cathedral and a coastline they call the 'English Riviera' - what better place for a cream tea? |
| Cornwall (Kernow) Very much separate from the rest of England, Cornwall isthe place to go for serious surfing, white-washed fishing villages, tales of pirates, UNESCO mining heritage and Celtic hospitality:Kernow bys vyken! |
| Isles of Scilly (Enesek Syllan) Beyond Land's End lies a jewel-like archipelago; warmed by the tropical Gulf Stream, these Cornish islands enjoy the mildest climate in Britain |
UNESCO listing, one of the great spa towns of Europe. Marvel at the Roman baths, stroll the Regency resort or take a dip in the curative waters of Sulis.
UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you can dig fossils out of the beach with your plastic bucket and spade.UNESCO World Heritage Site with51.428333-1.8538899Avebury, a village built amongst standing stones about 20 miles to the north.The exact boundary of the West Country is unclear and often a source of heated debate between the different counties, most of which have strong identities. Some definitions exclude Gloucestershire, while others embrace the likes ofHerefordshire andHampshire.
Most of the West Country once formed part of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex, and Wessex remains to this day a cultural region with which some locals identify. The people ofCornwall sometimes consider themselves separate from both the West Country and England, due to their ancient Celtic heritage.
What can be said is that it is an area that shares many interesting cultural similarities, from accent and dialect, to a shared agricultural and fishing heritage, and a readiness to accept witches, pagans and other freethinkers that might not fit in elsewhere.
West Country people are widely seen as warm, welcoming, forgiving and easygoing folk, and certainly this reputation has helped enhance the tourism industry. Other aspects of the culture include an almost religious obsession with strong farm-produced cider. Many folk songs about the juice of the apple are widely known and will be readily performed by local musicians, in a style jokingly referred to as "Scrumpy & Western" with the most famous band of this genre being The Wurzels.
The West Country is known for its distinctiveaccents, which vary from county to county, but share many common traits, most notably rhoticity — i.e. the R in words like "butter" and "farm" is pronounced the same as in "rabbit" or "arrange" — a feature shared with most Scottish, Irish, Canadian and American accents, but in contrast to most accents from elsewhere in England. In the media, you may recognise these accents from Robert Newton's seminal portrayal of Long John Silver in the 1950 film adaptation ofTreasure Island, or else as similar to those used by Samwise Gamgee inThe Lord of the Rings or Rubeus Hagrid inHarry Potter.
Cornish, a Celtic language related to Welsh, is spoken by a tiny minority in Cornwall; see thecounty article for details.
The M5 from the north and the M4, A303 and A31 fromLondon and theSouth East provide motorway and trunk road access to South West England.
Probably the cheapest way of getting to the South West -National Express andMegabus operate many services into the region, including routes from airports.
Great Western Railway operate most services into the region from London, the South East and Wales.South Western Railway (who mainly cover the east of the region) also connect the West Country to the South and South East.CrossCountry provide long distance services from the Midlands and North.
Bristol Airport (BRS IATA) is the main regional airport with many European destinations and even some inNorth America.
Bournemouth,Exeter andNewquay[dead link] all have airports with services from elsewhere in the UK and abroad.Southampton Airport, in the neighbouring South East region, is very well placed for Dorset and Wiltshire.
Otherwise, the greatest number of international (and particularly long-haul) flights will be found at the variousLondon airports, which are all within a day's drive of practically anywhere in the West Country.Heathrow Airport is about 2 hours' drive from Bristol, but 5 hours' drive fromPenzance.
Within the West Country itself are two seaports offering international ferry services:Plymouth receives ferries fromRoscoff andSt Malo inFrance, andSantander inSpain, whilePoole receives ferries fromCherbourg and St Malo in France, plus Santander and the Channel Islands.
The other Cross Channel ports (Southampton,Portsmouth,Newhaven andDover) are in South East England and are at various distances from the West Country.
The South West with its long coastline is a haven for tourists and so many tourist attractions can be found here. Eastern Dorset has a number of popular seaside resorts, the biggest of which is Bournemouth. The 'Jurassic Coast' (so named for the abundant dinosaur and prehistoric fossils found along the beaches) runs through western Dorset and eastern Devon. TheCornish coast is famous for its mining heritage, fishing villages and surfing beaches. One of that county's most popular modern attractions is the Eden Project inSt Austell, huge glass biomes containing plants from across the Earth.
Dartmoor andExmoor national parks are popular for outdoor activities including hiking, climbing, mountain biking and pony trekking.
Other attractions include the two Crealy Great Adventure Parks inDevon andCornwall.
Cream tea wars Devon and Cornwall are divided not just by the River Tamar, but by the proper way to prepare scones: theheathen Cornish maintain thejam should go first and be slathered with cream on top, whereas theborderline psychopathic Devonians argue thecream should be spread first, with the jam dolloped on top. The rest of the country may laugh, butthey still haven't settled on whether it's pronounced "scone" or "scone". |
Local specialities include:
The Wurzels –I Am a Cider Drinker chorus I am a cider drinker |
The region is most famous for the production of farmhouse cider (nationally known as a "scrumpy"). This is generally assumed to be alcoholic (and frequently much stronger than supermarket cider!) and apple-based, although perry from pears and ciders from other fruits are also produced.
The rural West Country is generally an extremely safe area with low crime rates – the sort of place where locals may leave houses unlocked, although of course this is not advised; and as usual, towns and cities should be treated with more vigilance.
Drive carefully! Perhaps the biggest potential danger for a visitor is on the country roads, which are frequently narrow, with very poor visibility as they wind between high hedges, and always the risk of a tractor, horse rider or cyclist around the next corner.
In addition, the highlands of Dartmoor, Exmoor etc. can be very exposed tobad weather, so although they are not particularly mountainous in sheer height or relief, they should be treated with similar respect. Similarly, all usual respect should be paid to coastline safety as thesea can be rough and many opportunities exist for getting cut off by the tide.
When West Country people are portrayed in media, several tropes are frequently used. Either they're simple country folk — usually farmers or fishermen — or they're pirates, or similar roguish outlaws. These portrayals have a basis in historical reality; the soil and the sea are important to the local economy, while the South West has always harboured alternative lifestyles and an independent spirit. It also won't escape your notice when visiting that the tropes are often played up in the region for tourists.
However, don't forget that these are stereotypes which not all locals are comfortable with, and many may take offence at the implications: the "oo-ar" farmer and rum-soaked sailor are lovable and hard-grafting, but essentially dim-witted; pirates, smugglers and highwaymen might be romantic and certainly not lacking in brains, but they are still violent criminals.
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