From Wikitravel

For other places with the same name, see South West (disambiguation).

The West Country is an unofficial name for southwest region of England.

[edit] Counties

The following counties are generally considered to form the West Country:

	Gloucestershire
	Wiltshire
	Somerset
	Dorset
	Devon
	Cornwall
	The Isles of Scilly

[edit] Cities and towns

[edit] Cities

• Bath (Somerset)
• Bristol
• Exeter (Devon)
• Gloucester (Gloucestershire)
• Plymouth (Devon)
• Salisbury (Wiltshire)
• Truro (Cornwall)

[edit] Towns

• Bournemouth (Dorset)
• Torquay (Devon)
• Weymouth (Dorset)
• Penzance (Cornwall)

[edit] Other destinations

• Stonehenge - the most famous prehistoric standing stones in the world, and a World Heritage site
• The Forest of Dean - the "Queen of Forests", one of England's few remaining ancient forests
• Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks
• Isles of Scilly - a glorious set of islands out in Atlantic Ocean off Cornwall. The of Britain's best kept secrets.
• Land's End - where Cornwall tumbles into the Atlantic
• Lundy - a rugged and very scenic island off the north Devon coast.
• The White Horses of Wiltshire - white horses created by removing the grass on hills to reveal the white chalk underneath. Most are a few hundred years old, although the Uffington White Horse is at least 3,000 years old
• The Jurassic Coast in Dorset and East Devon is designated a World Heritage site

[edit] Understand

The exact boundary of the West Country is unclear and often a source of heated debate between the different counties, many of which have strong identities. What can be said is that it is an area that shares many interesting cultural similarities. Most noticeably the dialect.

West Country dialects can vary but share many similarities, most noticeably the strong rhetoric pronunciation, often stereotyped as rural or pirate speech. These dialects can also be found in neighbouring counties, but are more uncommon due to the influence of large population shifts out of London.

West Country people are often portrayed as warm, welcoming, forgiving and easy going folk and certainly this reputation has helped enhance the tourist industry. Other aspects of the culture include an almost religious obsession with rough farm produced scrumpy cider. Many folk songs about the juice of the apple are widely known and will be readily preformed by the locals.

West Country people are often portrayed in the British media as simple country folk, however be aware that people are not comfortable with this London centric regionalist view and might well find such comparisons extremely offensive to the point of declaring independence.

[edit] Get in

[edit] Get around

[edit][add listing] See

[edit][add listing] Do

The South West with its long Jurassic coastline is a haven for tourists and so many tourist attractions can be found here. One of the most popular attractions is the Eden Project[1] in Cornwall

Other attractions include Crealy Great Adventure Parks[2], two Theme Parks in Devon and Cornwall.

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] Stay safe

[edit] Get out

• London is about a two hour drive from Bristol
• Swansea and the Gower Peninsula are around 90 minutes from Bristol.

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