England's south-west is where the country gets wild. The coastline dominates, from the golden beaches of Bournemouth and Cornwall to the dramatic cliffs of Exmoor and north Devon. But there is far more than coast here.
Bristol is the region's largest city, a creative, lively port with a long maritime history. Bath offers some of England's finest Georgian architecture and Roman remains. The cathedrals at Exeter, Wells, Salisbury and Gloucester are among the best in the country.
Two national parks cover the moors: Dartmoor with its granite tors and Bronze Age remains, and Exmoor with its red deer and wooded valleys. The New Forest, straddling the border with Hampshire, became a national park in 2005. There are prehistoric sites at Stonehenge and Avebury, splendid gardens open to the public, and the Scilly Isles off the tip of Cornwall.
The Cotswolds in Gloucestershire offer honey-stone villages and gentle rolling hills. Glastonbury has its abbey ruins and mystical associations. And Swindon, while not the region's beauty spot, has a notable railway museum and serves as a gateway to the Wiltshire countryside.
