South West

Arriving at the Lizard by bus its easy to wonder if you've made the right choice.  It looks a bit of a trashy tourist spot with shops selling carved red and green stone objects - nearly all of which are round (as its easy to do on a lathe).  But head out to the rocky coast and its very different. The cliffs are draped in flowers and the sea glimmers a stunning blue below. Wander further and you reach Kynance Cove.  For most of the day its just rocks and a tiny patch of sand, but for a couple of hours each tide a series of stunning beaches are revealed.

From Totnes take the boat down the river Dart, with commentary from the skipper.  Its a slow boat, gently winding its way along the ria (a flooded river valley for those that weren't paying attention in geography) with wooded slopes on either side.  By the time you reach Dartmouth you are totally relaxed.

In Dartmouth there plenty of time to hop across the river and back on any of the three regular ferries, or perhaps a walk out to Dartmouth castle and back.  Or just head to the park, to drink tea and watching the world go by.

The train from Totnes weaves through the red Devonian cliffs, then turns up the river Exe to Exeter, losing the red sands, but gaining green fields before the city hogs the view.  It would be too easy to stay aboard and head straight for London, but instead change trains and explore a bit further East.  The route weaves through the countryside, keeping away from the coast, so when you disembark at Honiton you need a local bus to reach the sea at Sidmouth.  And here once again the red cliffs and sands dominate.  Dodge the crowds on the busy front with a walk up the cliff westward to some gardens and a tea room which serves some rather large portions of cake - and what is not to like about that!

Much further East the next stop is Frome.  Its a delightful little town with two interesting little pedestrain streets.  One winds up a hill, the other has a stream running through a channel down it.  Both are lined with lovely little independent shops, like the baker's seen here (sadly now closed).  Its windows used to be stacked with the most delicious cakes, tarts and pastries.  The only issue is what do you choose?

Or how about peaceful Bradford On Avon?  You can walk through it before you realise you are in it!  But it does have one very short pedestrian street, and on that street there is a teashop where you can get a really big bit of cake with your beverage.  To walk it off head over to the tithe barn (which is very atmospheric inside) and continue along either the canal or the river.  Walk far enough and you may just end up in Bath.

Perhaps a trip to Bristol then.  Its a bustling vibrant sort of place with lots of interesting things to be found.  My recommendation is to follow the water.  It will take you past the now arty old dockyards, and Brunel's magnificent SS Great Britain, and on to another of his creations - the bridge across the Avon Gorge.  The other side of the gorge is a busy main road, but this side its a pleasant walk along a wooded shore.

This scene comes from Wimborne Minster. Its a small place with a minster (obviously), and a small square with this cafe on it.

You may have heard of  Sandbanks where there are ridiculously expensive houses.  There is a promenade between there and Bournemouth.  Along the way there are several chines - which are little wooded valleys that go down to the sea.  One of the first you come to is Canford Cliffs.  Its only a small one, but its filled with a pleasing arrangement of beach huts.