North Devon
Stretching west and south from Combe Martin to the Cornish border, this is essentially a coastal Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty containing some of the finest cliff scenery in Britain. In the north, steeply dipping rocks form hogsback cliffs in a natural continuation of Exmoor’s coastline. Turning south, Hartland Point’s dark, sheer crags and razor-like reefs are the coast at its sternest. Facing the full force of the Atlantic, its fractured jagged drama is the stuff of wreckers’ tales. The AONB also reaches inland to take in the cliff top plateau around Hartland. This is scored by deep valleys which reach the coast as steep hanging gaps in the cliffs, often foaming with spectacular coastal waterfalls.
In contrast, the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty includes the broad sweep of Barnstaple Bay, the surfing beaches of Westward Ho! and the huge dune systems of Braunton Burrows on the Taw and Torridge Estuary. Although skirting larger resorts such as Ilfracombe, the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty boundary takes in picturesque fishing hamlets, including tiny ‘honey pot’ Clovelly.
The South West Coast Path, a National Trail, has opened up the high cliff tops for walkers and naturalists.
