Devon

Devon has two coasts. The north faces the Atlantic, with long, open sand at Woolacombe, Saunton and Croyde, backed by dunes and edged by surf. The south coast is gentler. It has sheltered estuary beaches around Salcombe, Bantham and Bigbury, where the tide walks out to Burgh Island, shingle coves such as Blackpool Sands, and the red-cliffed resort beaches of Torbay and Sidmouth. Rock pools, sandcastles and wetsuits are part of a classic summer here.

The water is cold. It reaches about 17°C in August and September at best, and most visitors swim in short bursts or wear a wetsuit. From June to September, beach days shape many stays, though the weather can turn grey at any time. Outside summer the beaches are for walking rather than swimming.

Devon eats from its own fields and harbours. Brixham lands much of the fish served across the county. Crab from Salcombe and Dartmouth, mussels from the estuaries, clotted cream, local cheeses and farmhouse cider are the things to look for. The cream tea, with jam and cream on a split scone, is a fixture of every village tea room.

The best eating is in the harbour towns of the South Hams, Dartmouth above all, along the Exe estuary, and in country pubs on the edge of Dartmoor. Exeter and Plymouth add a wider range of restaurants. Farm shops and weekly produce markets are a pleasure for anyone cooking in a rented cottage. Fine dining exists but is scattered, and the resort seafronts lean towards chips and ice cream.

Exeter Cathedral is the county's great building. It has a richly carved west front and the longest unbroken Gothic vault in England, and stands among the Roman and medieval walls of a compact city centre. Plymouth's Barbican keeps its cobbled Elizabethan quarter and the Mayflower Steps. The Hoe looks out over the Sound where Drake is said to have finished his game of bowls, and The Box gathers the city's museum collections.

Away from the cities, heritage comes as country houses and old towns. There are Castle Drogo above the Teign gorge, Buckland Abbey, Killerton, the shell-decorated A La Ronde, the medieval estate of Dartington Hall and Agatha Christie's riverside house at Greenway. Dartmouth, Totnes and Tavistock, with its mining heritage, are rewarding to wander. Nothing here is of world rank, though, and the sights are spread widely across the county.

Evenings in Devon mostly mean a pub. There is the harbourside pint in Dartmouth or Salcombe, a beer garden by an estuary, or a village inn with a fire on Dartmoor. Exeter and Plymouth have the only real going-out scenes. They are student-driven and lively at weekends, with Plymouth's Barbican and Union Street the busiest areas. Torquay has a few seaside bars and clubs in summer. Elsewhere, most towns are quiet soon after dinner.

Dartmoor fills the centre of the county. It is open granite moorland crowned by weathered tors, crossed by clapper bridges and grazed by ponies, and you can walk all day with no road in sight. Exmoor, on the northern edge, drops to the sea in some of the highest cliffs in England, with red deer in its wooded combes. Linking it all, the South West Coast Path runs the length of both coastlines. On the east, the cliffs around Sidmouth and Beer are part of the Jurassic Coast, layered in red sandstone and white chalk.

The water is busy too. Surfers come to Croyde and Woolacombe, paddlers and sailors to the Dart, Salcombe and Exe estuaries, and birdwatchers to the Exe's wading-bird flats. The Tarka Trail and the Granite Way give long, easy cycling. Walking is good all year, though Dartmoor can be wet and fogbound in any season.

Devon is a good county for outings, and the choice depends on where you stay. From Exeter, Bath is about an hour and a half by train, and Wells, Glastonbury and Bristol are within reach. Lyme Regis and the Dorset coast are an easy drive east. Inside the county, Dartmouth and Totnes pair well on a river boat trip down the Dart. Clovelly is a steep cobbled fishing village on the north coast, and Lundy is a day's sail from Bideford or Ilfracombe.

From Plymouth or the west of the county, Cornwall opens up: the Eden Project, Fowey, Cotehele and the Tamar valley, with St Ives at the edge of a long day. Most of these outings are by car, and summer traffic stretches the travel times.

Devon is one of Britain's traditional family vacation counties, and it suits children well. The sandy beaches have lifeguards in summer, rock pools and gently shelving water. Woolacombe, Bigbury and the Torbay beaches are the easiest. Paignton Zoo and the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth are the big set pieces. Small farm parks, adventure parks and steam railways, such as the line from Paignton to Kingswear, fill the rainy days.

Most families rent a cottage or stay at a caravan park and drive to each day's outing. That suits younger children, though narrow lanes and car parks full in August take some patience. Dartmoor's ponies, letterboxing and short tor scrambles appeal to older children. The real risk is the weather, so plan for wet days.

Most visitors need a car. Main-line trains link Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay, running along the sea wall at Dawlish, and branch lines reach Exmouth and Barnstaple. Beyond them, buses are sparse in rural areas, and the coast and moor are hard to reach without driving.

Driving has its own difficulties. Devon's lanes are often single-track between high hedges, with reversing to passing places a daily ritual. The roads into the county and towards the beaches back up on summer weekends, and parking in the harbour towns is tight. Once parked, the towns themselves are small and easy on foot, though many are steep.

Shopping here is small-scale. Totnes is the most distinctive town, with independent and alternative shops along its steep high street and a weekly market. Honiton is known for antiques and its lace-making past, Dartmouth and Salcombe have galleries and sailing-style clothing, and Dartington has craft studios. Exeter and Plymouth have the usual high-street chains and shopping centres. For many visitors the best buys are edible: cheese, cider and clotted cream from farm shops and produce markets.

Devon in summer is not cheap. The school summer break drives up prices for cottages and hotels, and the most sought-after harbour towns and north coast surf villages are expensive to stay in. Pub meals, parking fees and attractions add to the bill. Torbay, Plymouth and inland villages offer far more for the money, and stays in spring and autumn cost much less. Walking the coast path and the moors, and sitting on the beaches, costs nothing at all.

Plymouth's Theatre Royal is the main stage. It is one of the largest regional theatres in England, with touring musicals, drama, opera and ballet, and a studio space for its own productions. Exeter has the Northcott Theatre and the Phoenix arts centre, and the cathedral holds choral evensong and concerts. Dartington Hall has a long tradition of summer music. Folk music turns up in country pubs, and in the market towns there is a steady run of small festivals. It is enough for a good evening out but not a reason to come.

Devon has no thermal springs or bathing tradition to speak of. Its wellness offer is in the spa hotels in country houses and on cliff tops, and in a strong habit of cold-water swimming. Plymouth's Tinside Lido is an Art Deco open-air saltwater pool below the Hoe, and year-round swimmers gather at coves along the south coast. What restores people here is mostly the pace: quiet estuary villages, long days on the coast path and evenings in a cottage with no reason to rush. It is a calm county outside the busiest summer weeks.