The stunning UK holiday hotspot with shipwrecks, seals swimming offshore and horseshoe-shaped waterfalls

Devon is awash with earthy and historical attractions – large quality for wildlife lovers and civilization vultures heading present connected a £9.50 Holiday.

Whether you’re fascinated by stories of the navy’s past, exhilarated by the sheer quality of the seashore oregon similar to sojourn age-old marketplace towns, there’s thing to excite each benignant of traveller. 

Of course, Devon is blessed with earthy wonders specified arsenic its 2 nationalist parks, Dartmoor and Exmoor, implicit with its acheronian entity status.

You’ve besides got 5 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to explore: Blackdown Hills, East Devon, North Devon Coast, South Devon and the Tamar Valley.

These are packed with earthy and humanities attractions, similar the Tamar’s affluent mining practice landscape and the North Devon Biosphere, England’s largest soil dune strategy located astir Braunton Burrows. 

Among the top-rated historical attractions successful Devon are Saltram, a Georgian location and gardens successful Plympton, the 600-year-old Dartmouth Castle and Coleton Fishacre, a 1920s location with a expansive plot successful Kingswear.

We’ve spoken to section experts, positive Sun readers who person already enjoyed a £9.50 Holiday in this beauteous portion of the world, to observe their recommendations for Devon’s champion earthy and historical attractions. Here’s what they said… 

Walk, coasteering and belly boarding astatine Baggy Point

Surrounded by Croyde’s crashing waves and spectacular cliffs, Baggy Point is an awesome headland successful North Devon.

The 300-ft-high tract has an absorbing history.

During the Second World War, it was utilized by the American forces to bid for the Normandy Landings (lookout for the telltale remnants of this past, including dummy pillboxes connected the plateau). 

You tin research Baggy Point connected foot, which Paul Braithwaite, General Manager at Ruda Holiday Park, recommends.

He says: “It takes astir fractional an hr to get to the top, but you get unthinkable coastal scenery and immoderate spectacular photograph opportunities up there.”

Thrill-seekers tin spot the cliffs from a antithetic space with a coasteering session – oregon you tin get 1 of the six woody belly boards for escaped from the Baggy Point kiosk (during summertime months) and leap into the oversea of your ain accord.

Meet Verity

Overlooking the Bristol Channel connected Baggy Point successful North Devon, a large pistillate wields a sword overhead and holds the scales of justness portion lasting connected a heap of instrumentality books.

This arresting show is really a 60ft bronze and alloy sculpture called Verity.

It was created by world-famous creator Damien Hirst, who described it arsenic a “modern allegory of information and justice”.

Hirst, who lives successful Ilfracombe, has loaned the statue to the municipality for 20 years, starting from erstwhile it was unveiled successful 2012.

Tessa Lomas, proprietor of Sea Sauna successful adjacent Saunton recommends strolling to Stacc afterwards for cocktails and cake. Tessa, 31, said: “The pastry cook determination is astonishing and it’s each truly bully quality.” 

Wildlife spotting successful the nationalist parks

Devon has 2 nationalist parks, Exmoor and Dartmoor.

Both escaped to visit, they are unthinkable places to research whether connected foot, by motorcycle oregon adjacent connected horseback (guided rides available).

While landlocked Dartmoor is celebrated for its granite “tors” and ponies, successful north-east Devon, Exmoor meets the coast, and is besides the UK’s archetypal acheronian skies conservation area.

During the day, support your eyes peeled for uncommon species, including butterflies and birds specified arsenic reddish grouse. The Valley of Rocks and Lynton circular locomotion offers plentifulness of wildlife spotting and coastal views. 

See shipwrecks successful South Devon

The rocky seashore of Devon has been the origin of thousands of shipwrecks (some estimates suggest up to 5,000).

And you tin get a glimpse of immoderate of them if you cognize wherever to look.

Gem Krupa, Holiday Home Sales Manager astatine Challaborough Bay, suggests Hope Cove successful South Devon wherever the wreckage of Empire Harry is disposable astatine debased tide.

She said: “You tin prosecute a paddleboard from Bigbury-on-Sea (try Discovery Surf) oregon conscionable instrumentality your snorkel. You tin sometimes spot seals hanging retired there, too.”

After, plaything by Hope & Anchor for a pint adjacent the beach. 

Park life 

Sun scholar Richard Tilley visited Cockington Country Park during his caller £9.50 Holiday astatine Parkdean Resorts Torquay.

The parkland is simply a premix of manicured gardens and agrarian countryside and woodland, with a historical manor house, thatched cottages and 11th-century church.

Richard, 62, from Devizes successful Wiltshire, said: “It has a large old-fashioned cricket greenish and a small water and stream. We had a cupful of beverage and visited each the small trade units.

"My spouse watched the solid blowers and bought a bauble arsenic a souvenir.”

Tip: Although the parkland is escaped to visit, you person to wage for parking (£1.80 per hr oregon £7 for 4 hours and over). 

Market madness

For a buying travel with a historical twist, Sun scholar Dawn Brannigan recommends heading to Barnstaple Pannier Market successful North Devon.

The existent Guildhall gathering dates backmost to 1826, but Barnstaple’s trading past goes backmost adjacent further, to Saxon times.

Dawn, 54, from Wakefield, was staying adjacent astatine Golden Coast Holiday Park successful Woolacombe erstwhile she visited Pannier Market.

She said: “It’s an indoor marketplace with a historical feel. There’s besides the Pottington car footwear sale wherever I picked up loads of bargains.”

Royal William Yard and Drake’s Island

Plymouth has a fascinating naval past – aft all, this is wherever the English fleet near successful 1588 to face the Spanish Armada.

The regenerated Royal William Yard country is steeped successful history, having kept the naval fleet afloat successful the 19th century.

Today, the restored Grade I and II Listed buildings are location to pulsing restaurants, galleries, shops and events specified arsenic unrecorded euphony and nutrient markets.

Gem Krupa recommends the ferry to Drakes Island for past buffs, saying: “You tin get a ferry done Plymouth Sound and bash a circuit of the island. You volition spot aged cannons, mysterious tunnels and possibly adjacent seals connected the rocks.”

Wild swimming 

Around a 35-minute thrust inland from the South Devon coastline is simply a fantastic chaotic swimming spot connected the River Dart.

Daniel Start, writer of the caller Wild Guide South West, said: “It’s 1 of the astir beauteous chaotic swimming rivers successful the UK.

In a heavy gorge acold upstream of Newbridge, you tin prevarication retired connected the level blistery rocks supra the serene quality of Horseshoe Falls, a earthy horseshoe-shaped water"fall.

"Below a heavy pool, cleanable for a refreshing swim, with opportunities for jumps from the surrounding rocks. From present a picturesque footpath leads up to the cleanable colony of Holne with a beauteous pub.”