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Best Places to go in Southwest England

South West England is one of the most beautiful parts of Britain. This is the real England... England at its best. It covers an extensive area starting just one hour west of the outskirts of London with Stonehenge (1) in Wiltshire, the Cotswolds(12) to the north west and stretching down into the far south west to Lands End (14) in Cornwall, the most westerly point in England.

South West England is home to so many of England's treasures. It is rich in heritage and history, with a magnificent coastal and rural landscape, interesting historic towns like Regency Cheltenham Spa (4) in the Cotswolds, cathedral cities like Salisbury (8) whose cathedral houses one of only 2 remaining copies of the Magna Carta, magnificent historic houses, stately homes, castles, and glorious gardens, many of which benefit from the warmth of the gulf stream, and whose flagship is Cornwall's Eden Project (9). Dubbed as the 8th wonder of the world, it is a "Living Theatre of People and Plants" and houses the largest greenhouses in the world!

South West England boasts 5 World Heritage sites - the beautiful Georgian city of Bath (2), the prehistoric standing stone circles of Stonehenge (1) and of Avebury (15) in Wiltshire, the Jurassic Coast (10) in Dorset, a fossil hunter's paradise, and Cornwall and West Devon's historic mining landscapes.

Dorset was also home to Thomas Hardy (11), the popular English writer who was so inspired by the Dorset countryside and it's people. The internationally recognised and popular author Agatha Christie (6) spent much of her life in South West England, in Torquay and other parts of south Devon . You can visit many places associated with her including the gardens of her home Greenway overlooking the river Dart, and the 1920s Art Deco hotel, Burgh Island. Another famous Devon literary connection is Sherlock Holmes - one of his most famous novels, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" was set in the National Park of Dartmoor (13). Devon is also home to the maritime city of Plymouth (5) from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail in the year 1646 to discover America.

Throughout history, the South West of England has been the birthplace of and inspiration for so many people. Not just writers and explorers but artists, politicians, and religious leaders. The methodist leader John Wesley lived and preached in Bristol (3), which is where you can visit the oldest Methodist Chapel in the world. Once, one of the most important trading posts in Britain, maritime Bristol is today a thriving and vibrant university city.

The county of Somerset is home to Wells, the smallest cathedral city in England, and Glastonbury Abbey (7) the reputed resting place of the legendary King Arthur.

Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com>

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Agatha Christie sites

Agatha Christie Country

One of the world's best loved authors, the whodunnit author Agatha Christie, spent much of her life in Devon - in the south of the county, in the area now known as the English Riviera, and in other parts of South Devon. This is such a beautiful area, it is easy to see why she chose to spend so much time here.

Many of the associated places have retained their 1920's character, and many it is possible to see and visit.

Let's start with Torquay itself: the Agatha Christie Gallery within Torquay Museum, then a walk along the Agatha Christie mile - the Grand Hotel where she and Archie spent their Honeymoon, the Princess Pier where she rollerskated as a child, the elegant Pavilion where they enjoyed concerts, Beacon cove ladies bathing beach and the only bronze bust of Agatha Christie on view in the world, unveiled in 1990 to mark the centenary of her birth.

Other places to visit are:

• Kent's Cavern in Torquay where Agatha's father was a fellow of the local Natural History Society and helped finance the excavations.
• All Saints Church in Torre, Torquay - where Agatha was baptized
• St Mary the Virgin Church in Churston, near Brixham which she frequented when living at Greenway and endowed funds for the stained glass window.
• The Blue Plaque marking the spot in Torquay where young Agatha's family home once stood (sadly demolished in the 1970s)

Agatha Christie week in Torquay is 10-16 September 2007 and includes theatre, talks, tours.Moving along the coast to picturesque Dartmouth, home of the Royal Naval College, and a short trip up the river Dart will take you to Agatha Christie's house Greenway where it is possible to visit the gardens. The house is due to open to the public in 2009 following restoration.

Further still along the coast at Bigbury-on-Sea, you can visit the Burgh Island Hotel, a sumptuous 1920's experience on an accessible rocky island once frequented by Agatha and more recently used as the location for "Evil under the Sun".

Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com>

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Day Trips from Plymouth

Historic Plymouth and the Devon and Cornwall countryside

Stay either at luxury Hotel Endsleigh (Option 1) approx. 30 minutes from Plymouth on the edge of Dartmoor, or at the 3*Kitley House Hotel (Option 2) 15 minutes south east of the city.

Option 1

Day 1
Head into nearby Tavistock today, a market town with attractive specialist shops, cafes, and restaurants and then to Cotehele House or Morwellham Quay. You could have lunch at the Horn of Plenty at Gulworthy or at the pub at Bere Alston.

Day 2
Head to Gunnislake today to catch the Tamar Valley railway through beautiful countryside to Plymouth. Visit the Barbican area from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail back in the 17th century to discover America, and Plymouth Hoe where Sir Francis Drake finished a game of bowls before setting sail to defeat the Spanish Armada. Take a boat trip from the Barbican to see Plymouth from the sea.

Day 3
Head north west into Cornwall today across Bodmin Moor (which features in Daphne du Maurier's novel Jamaica Inn) to visit the small coastal town of Padstow made famous by top chef Rick Stein - as a result there are many good places to eat in Padstow including Rick Stein's restaurants and his fish and chip shop at the fish market. Continue up the coast to Tintagel Castle, birthplace of the legendary King Arthur and to the fishing village of Boscastle.

Day 4
Visit The Garden House at Buckland Monachorum today, Buckland Abbey once owned by Sir Francis Drake, and then take a drive onto Dartmoor via Princetown to Two Bridges where you could have a cream tea at the hotel there. Return via Merrivale and Tavistock.

Day 5
Head to the Eden Project near St Austell (1hr.30mins.) today perhaps paying a visit to the attractive Cornish fishing of Fowey or Lanhydrock House film location for Much Ado About Nothing starring Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh.

Option 2

Day 1Head into Plymouth today visiting the Barbican area from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail back in the 17th century to discover America, and Plymouth Hoe where Sir Francis Drake finished a game of bowls before setting sail to defeat the Spanish Armada. Take a boat trip from the Barbican to see Plymouth from the sea.

Day 2
Head north onto Dartmoor via Buckfast Abbey to Holne. Perhaps have lunch at the Holne Chase Hotel or at the Forest Inn at Hexworthy if you fancy something a bit more rustic. Continue to Two Bridges via Hexworthy and sample a Devon cream tea at the Two Bridges hotel. Return via Princetown and Yelverton.

Day 3
Start out at Bigbury today perhaps going over to Burgh Island (accessible at low tide) where you could have coffee at the hotel. This is where Agatha Christie did much of her writing, and the hotel has retained it's Art Deco style. From Bigbury, head to Kingsbridge, an attractive town with a weekly Farmer's market on a Saturday down by the harbour. From Kingsbridge, take the coastal road via Slapton Sands (WWII site) to picturesque Dartmouth.

Day 4

Head east to Torquay today, explore the town with it's many Agatha Christie connections, then head to Paignton to take the round robin trip on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway along the coast to Kingswear and then the boat from Dartmouth to Totnes, passing Agatha Christie's house Greenway up above the banks of the river Dart. After a look around the attractive Elizabethan town of Totnes, there's a bus which will return you to your car in Paignton.

Day 5Head across the river Tamar into Cornwall today, to visit theEden Project (approx. 1hr.30mins.) returning via one of the fishing villages on the south coast - Looe, Polperro or Fowey.

Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com>

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