It’s not just sea food and cream tea that Devon is famous for…

If you’re holidaying in the UK this year and find yourself looking at a map of the country and thinking where to? Why not visit the county that has given us some of the greatest musicians, Olympians and more over the years and come to Devon?

While it is widely known that Agatha Christie is one of Devon’s greatest exports having been born in Torquay and having a memorial to her there and that Fawlty Towers put the town on the map, perhaps a few of these other celebs’ birthplaces might surprise you.

Just along the coast from the home of Agatha Christie, one of the UK’s greatest prog rock bands was founded, the members of Muse all grew up in the county and formed the band in Teignmouth. Devon’s list of notable musicians doesn’t end there, Chris Martin of Coldplay fame and Joss Stone are both Devon exports, with Chris Martin hailing from Exeter and Stone growing up in Cullompton, as is Ben Howard who is from Totnes. Dave Hill, from Slade, was born at Flete Estates.

Model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whitely hails from Plymouth and also lived in Tavistock for a time. Lily Cole was also from the county, being born in Torquay, as was Miranda Hart.

Comedian, Josh Widdicombe, regularly talks about growing up in Widecombe-in-the-Moor. Maybe you could visit their Craft Market on a Thursday and see if you recognise any of the areas he jokes about?

Let’s not forget former Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City player, Trevor Francis, who is also Plymouth born and bred.

While we’re talking about sport, Tom Daley and Sharron Davis are both from Plymouth and Jo Pavey is from Honiton and Sue Barker is from Paignton.

The man credited with the invention of the modern computer, Charles Babbage, also lived in Devon as a child, in both Teignmouth and Totnes. In fact, he was schooled there, so Devon is clearly the home of some very clever teachers.

Michael Caines, the celebrity chef, has several restaurants around the county, including The Coach House and Lympstone Manor Hotel and Restaurant. His locally sourced food is often topic of conversation and he’s been known to show off his skills in workshops to share his culinary secrets, so keep an eye out in case he’s running one while you’re visiting!