Devon's World Heritage Sites

Outstanding as Devon is for the beauty of its world-class landscapes, it also has four remarkable areas including sites of international significance by UNESCO and also Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.   

The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site
The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site is up there with all the world's most famous attractions - China's Great Wall, Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the mighty ruins of Angkor in Cambodia. Its 95 miles display unbroken evidence of 185 million years of earth's history - something you won't find anywhere else in the world.

The English Riviera Geopark
The English Riviera Geopark - An epic adventure: 400 million years in the making.  A Geopark is a natural theme park, without the restrictions on opening times, entry fees or queues. Geopark Status is awarded to areas of outstanding geological, archaeological, ecological and cultural value and becomes an invaluable tool for understanding and promoting the region.  What makes the English Riviera Geopark so unique is that it is the world’s only urban Geopark. There’s no need to climb mountains or trek through the wilderness to enjoy everything our Geopark has to offer; it’s conveniently located in one of the UK’s premier seaside resorts! Scratch beneath the surface and you’ll discover tales of tropical seas and scorching deserts; hippopotami, mammoth and earliest man.

Braunton Burrow's Biosphere Reserve
Braunton Burrow's Biosphere Reserve, Britain's first such reserve, is an important area of sand dunes, expanded recently to include Northam Burrows, the Taw-Torridge Estuary and Braunton Marshes. It owes its selection to its amazing diversity of rare plants - look for water germander and orchids - and continuous human use over the centuries.

The Tamar Valley
The Tamar Valley has a double claim to fame. Not only is it an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it now has the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project, part of the World Heritage Site of Cornwall and West Devon's Mining Landscape. The site celebrates the contribution made locally to Britain's industrial revolution and, indeed, to mining throughout the world.

For an interactive map of all the World Heritage and UNESCO Sites across Devon with information about sustainable transport from and between sites, including real-time bus and train information, click here.