The Best of the South West: The Devon estuaries and the Cornish coast

We can no longer distinguish the nave and the former southern gate of the ancient abbey of Malmesury, and yet the building remains very impressive for those who visit. With construction beginning in the 12th century, the famous abbey remains associated with the scholar Saint Aldhelm (shown in a window) and the great historian William of Malmesbury. It was here in the 11th century that a monk experienced one of the first flights, springing from the top of a tower on a hang glider. 

The first spa in England, Bath already had natural hot water before the construction of its first thermal baths by the Romans. Used for nearly four centuries, the baths were then neglected and forgotten. It was finally the arrival of Queen Anne in the early 18th century that made Bath a fashionable water city. The incredible Roman baths were also rediscovered in 1870. 

It would be ideal to be able to (re)read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen here, a novel which so admirably describes the atmosphere of the Assembly Rooms. In the ballroom in the basement of this prestigious building, a stunning costume collection traces the history of 16th century fashion to modern times. Corsets, crinolines and dresses of all kinds are on display in a museum that brings together nearly 30,000 original pieces.

Some would say that this moorland was created only for grazing ponies and sheep. A tortured land dotted with waterfalls and standing stones, stone crosses and ancient ruins: It is the realm of walkers, cyclists, and horseback riders. A wonderful backdrop dominated by the tors – large granite outcrops –, Dartmoor was the inspiration for Conan Doyle's novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.

A natural World Heritage Site owing to its geological importance, the Jurassic Coast stretches 96 miles from East Devon to Dorset. Geographers and geologists believe that parts of this rocky coastline are 180 million years old. It therefore comes as no surprise that a wealth of geological vestiges and fossils (ammonites) are found here. The South West Coast Path is a wonderful hiking trail from which to discover this coastline.

This immense botanical park is more than a garden: It is home to one of the most superb collections of trees in Great Britain. Many of them are the oldest or largest of their species in the United Kingdom. The 62 acres offer a range of experiences in the varied gardens (American, Italian, Hermit, etc.). Here, you follow a path between the tree ferns; there, you contemplate the Chinese handkerchief tree or the majestic Greek fir.

The Exeter Cathedral Choir is considered one of the finest in the country. One can come and listen to its liturgical hymns that accompany the evening services (5:30 p.m. weekdays, 4:00 p.m. weekends). Under the impressive tierceron vault of the cathedral's nave, one can only be struck by Bach's St. John Passion or Handel's Messiah, recently performed to mark a successful European tour.

Trelissick Garden is at its best in the spring and fall. The Japanese Red Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), planted in 1898, is magnetic, as visitors circle around it again and again until they feel dizzy. Along the carefully tended lawns, stroll between azaleas, banana and rhododendron trees, dahlias and hydrangeas. The finishing touch to the setting (and its atmosphere) is the a river thta gently flows below.