Protected landscapes

Devon’s rich and varied landscapes are rightly treasured by locals and visitors alike and have been recognised with five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 1 UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and 1 UNESCO Geopark, along with two National Parks and acres of private estates and farmland.

National Parks
To visit Exmoor and Dartmoor is to see landscapes that go back into the mists of time. Rugged open moorland, narrow valleys and a wealth of wildlife in unspoilt countryside combine to impress all who visit these fascinating regions. National Parks exist to preserve the natural beauty of an area and encourage its wildlife and cultural heritage while at the same time opening it up for all to enjoy. Year round, you’ll find events, festivals and guided walks and the moors are open every day of the week for rambling, horse riding, cycling, bird watching.. you name it.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB’s)
These are exactly as the name suggests- precious landscapes of distinctive character and of a natural beauty so remarkable that it is in all our interests to safeguard them for future generations. Devon's AONBs are immensely varied in character, ranging from ancient woodland to dramatic cliffs, from windswept dunes to rolling pastoral lands.
The steep wooded gorges of the Tamar Valley AONB's drowned river system contrast with ancient woodlands and wetlands and disused mine workings. Picturesque South Devon AONB encapsulates the classic image of the green Devon countryside with its sunken lanes, flowering hedgerows and golden sands. North Devon AONB impresses with the drama of its rugged cliffs, sheer crags and razor-sharp reefs, contrasted with the beaches and dunes of Braunton Burrows and Barnstaple Bay.
The Blackdown Hills AONB combines a wide windswept plateau, dissected by deep valleys, with a dramatic steep northern scarp. Isolated communities live among ancient small fields and networks of deep lanes. The un-spoilt coast of East Devon AONB, with its sheer red sandstone cliffs cut by rivers, is backed by high remote plateaux and heath land commons.

UNESCO
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation protected areas in Devon are the North Devon Biosphere Reserve which includes Braunton Burrows, a huge sand dune system that hosts an extraordinarily diverse plant community, and the English Riviera Geopark an area of rich geological, historical and cultural significance which gained international recognition in 2007.

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.

In the West Devon Mining Heritage area stretching along the Tamar Valley, it is not immediately obvious that this landscape was once a hive of industry with the river Tamar providing a vital communication link for the Cornish mines during the 19th century. Later both Calstock and Morwellham were developed as industrial ports with rail links to mine sites.

Other areas of interest include the Forestry Commission managed Haldon Forest Park where there are walking and cycling trails from which to explore the area and here you can even swing through the trees at the Go Ape! activity centre.