Southwest England Overview

In a country with an incredibly rich history, no other region is as steeped in legend, mystery, and monument as England’s southwest. King Arthur is said to have been born at Tintagel on Cornwall’s northern coast. One village purports to be the site of Camelot, another the resting place of the Holy Grail, and no fewer than three small lakes are identified as the grave of Arthur’s sword, Excalibur. Cornwall was the last stronghold of the Celts in England, and evidence of even older Neolithic communities remains, most famously at Stonehenge. Other eras have left their monuments as well, from Salisbury’s medieval cathedral and Bath’s Roman spas to the fossils on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.

• Transportation

Without a car, traversing the Northwest Highlands is tricky in summer and nearly impossible in winter. Scotrail (☎ 08457 484 950) runs trains from Inverness to Thurso (4hr., 3 per day, £15.30). Scottish ...more

• Hiking And Outdoors

The region’s most popular walk is the 630 mi. South West Coast Path, England’s longest coastal path, which originates in Somerset (at Minehead, in Exmoor National Park) and passes through North Devon ...more