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Teign Valley - scenic rural valley, Devon

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:34:50 +0000

Teign Valley is a scenic rural valley in Devon, South West England, stretching southwest from the edge of Dartmoor National Park down toward the River Teign and surrounding countryside. It’s known for its picturesque villages, rolling farmland, river walks, and access to moorland landscapes, making it a favourite destination for nature lovers, hikers, cyclists, and people seeking peaceful countryside views.

Quick Summary

What: A rural valley in Devon known for scenic landscapes and outdoor experiences
Where: Southwest England, near Dartmoor National Park
Best for: Walking, cycling, photography, nature, quiet countryside visits
No central office: Tourism handled through local visitor services in nearby towns and county tourism boards

Features & Attractions

Natural landscapes: Green valleys, farmlands, river scenery, and wooded areas.
River Teign: The river flows through the valley and offers riverside walks and local fishing spots.
Villages: Quaint Devon villages such as Drewsteignton, Chagford, Ashton, and Ilsington are part of the wider area with local pubs, historic lanes, and community events.
Outdoor activities: Walking/running trails, mountain biking routes, and nature watching.
Scenic drives through Devon’s countryside — especially during spring and autumn.

Access & Visit Tips

Best base towns: Chagford or Drewsteignton (great for visitors with cafes and local services).
Easily reached from Dartmoor National Park via B3212/Teign Valley Road which winds through classic Devon countryside.
Perfect for day trips, photography, picnic stops, and gentle outdoor activities.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAzb8fDaz6o

Dartmoor National Park - upland area, Devon

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:19:47 +0000

Dartmoor National Park is a vast upland area and protected national park in Devon, South West England, covering around 954 km² of rugged moorland, dramatic granite tors, rivers, woodland, and historic sites. It has been protected as a National Park since 1951 and is managed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

The landscape includes iconic features such as wild ponies, ancient archaeological remains, stone circles, and wide-open vistas that have inspired writers and artists for centuries.

Quick Facts

Established: 1951 as a National Park
Area: ~954 km²
Highest Point: High Willhays (621 m)
Landscape: Granite moorland, rivers, ancient sites, wild ponies

Things to Do & Highlights

Visitor Centres: Postbridge, Haytor, and Princetown — great starting points for maps, advice, and local insight.
Walking & Hiking: Explore moorland trails, tors like Haytor Rocks, and long-distance paths.
Wildlife: Spot Dartmoor ponies, birds, rivers with otters and salmon, and diverse habitats.
History & Archaeology: Bronze Age remains, stone circles, and Dartmoor’s rich cultural heritage.
Camping & Outdoor Adventures: Wild backpack camping (with ‘no impact’ ethics) is possible in specific areas.

The park also includes charming villages, historic structures, and traditional pubs — perfect for exploring after a day outdoors.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0UdkD68VKY

Shitterton - The 100 Rudest Place Names in Britain, Wareham

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 06:07:37 +0000

Shitterton is a hamlet in Dorset, England. It has attracted worldwide attention for its name, which dates back at least 1000 years and means "farmstead on the stream used as an open sewer". Shitterton has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names, due to having the vulgar term "shit" in its name. The hamlet includes a collection of historic thatched buildings dating back to the 18th century and earlier.

The hamlet has about 50 households. Because it was protected by the Bere River from the fires that have ravaged Bere Regis over the years (most notably in 1788), Shitterton still retains an extensive selection of older, predominantly thatched, buildings. Nikolaus Pevsner describes the hamlet as "the best part" of Bere Regis, with its buildings forming "its own little street" leading up to the 18th-century thatched Shitterton Farm.

Name

The unusual name of the hamlet dates back at least 1,000 years to Anglo-Saxon times. It was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Scatera or Scetra, a Norman French rendering of an Old English name derived from the word scite, meaning dung. This word became schitte in Middle English and shit in modern English. The name alludes to the stream that bisects the hamlet, which appears to have been called the Shiter or Shitter, or "brook used as a privy". The place-name therefore means something along the lines of "farmstead on the stream used as an open sewer". It has been recorded in a number of variants over the centuries, including Schitereston (1285), Shyterton (1332), Chiterton (1456) and Shetterton (1687). During the 19th century, Victorians attempted to rename the hamlet as Sitterton. The name did not stick, though it lingers on in a few house and road names such as Sitterton Close and Sitterton House. It is not the only place-name in Britain that starts with Shit- – Shittlehope and Shitlington Crags also exist, located in County Durham and Northumberland respectively – but it appears to be the only one to actually be named after excrement.

The stream which passes near the village flows into the River Piddle (also called River Trent). Piddle is another name for urine.

In 2012, Shitterton was voted "Britain's worst place-name" in a survey carried out by genealogy website Find My Past, beating Scratchy Bottom, also in Dorset, and Brokenwind in Aberdeenshire. It was also awarded ninth place on the list of place-names in Rude Britain: The 100 Rudest Place Names in Britain. The native Shittertonians are, however, proud of their hamlet's name. Ian Ventham, the chairman of the parish council, said: "It is a perfect rural hamlet with thatched cottages and idyllic Dorset countryside. Those of us who live here are not the least bit embarrassed by it. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWCaybrMhRw

Land's End - headland in western Cornwall

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 08:27:05 +0000

Land's End (Cornish: Penn an Wlas or Pedn an Wlas) is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, situated within the Penwith peninsula about eight miles (13 km) west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is the English Channel, and to the west the Celtic Sea.

Land's End is the most westerly point of mainland England. However, it is not the westernmost point on mainland Great Britain, as this title narrowly goes to Corrachadh Mòr in the Scottish Highlands. [source]

Sham Castle - folly on Claverton Down, Somerset

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 08:17:11 +0000

Sham Castle is a folly on Claverton Down overlooking the city of Bath, Somerset, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. It is a screen wall with a central pointed arch flanked by two 3-storey circular turrets, which extend sideways to a 2-storey square tower at each end of the wall.

It was probably designed around 1755 by Sanderson Miller and built in 1762 by Richard James, master mason for Ralph Allen, "to improve the prospect" from Allen's town house in Bath. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBkrAq4SkZc

Weymouth Lowlands - natural region in Dorset, England

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 01:18:22 +0000

The Weymouth Lowlands form a natural region on the south coast of England in the county of Dorset. Much of the area lies with the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The coastline of the Weymouth Lowlands is dominated by Chesil Beach, which hugs the littoral grasslands in the west before separating from the mainland in the east to form The Fleet, a series of brackish lagoons, and then continuing as a narrow causeway linking the mainland with the Isle of Portland.

In the hinterland there are long, rounded, often bare, hogsback ridges interspersed with broad, clay vales. Arable farming predominates. Apart from the town of Weymouth, settlement is sparse and the few villages are small and compact. In the west the landscape is more varied, wooded and undulating than the eastern part of the Lowlands. The height of the land rises from 0.2 metres (0.66 ft) below sea level to around 208 metres (682 ft). [source]

Isle of Purbeck - villages, coastal paths and beaches, peninsula in Dorset, England

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 01:08:44 +0000

The Isle of Purbeck is a peninsula in Dorset, England. It is bordered by water on three sides: the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome and Poole Harbour to the north. Its western boundary is less well defined, with some medieval sources placing it at Flower's Barrow above Worbarrow Bay.

From 1974 to 2019, the whole of the Isle of Purbeck lay within the local government district of Purbeck, which was named after it. The district extended significantly further north and west than the traditional boundary of the Isle of Purbeck along the River Frome. Following the abolition of the district on 1 April 2019, the Isle now lies within the Dorset unitary authority area.

In terms of natural landscape areas, the southern part of the Isle of Purbeck and the coastal strip as far as Ringstead Bay in the west, have been designated as National Character Area 136 - South Purbeck by Natural England. To the north are the Dorset Heaths and to the west, the Weymouth Lowlands. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghOy7S5O3c

Severn Way - 338km long-distance trail in the UK

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 07:09:43 +0000

The Severn Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in the United Kingdom, which follows the course of the River Severn through Mid Wales and western England.

According to the Long Distance Walkers Association the Severn Way is 224 miles (360 km)

The source of the River Severn is high on Plynlimon, in the uplands of mid Wales, from where both river and walk descend to Llanidloes, Newtown, Powys and Welshpool. It then follows the towpath of the Montgomeryshire Canal, passing through Shrewsbury, Shropshire and the Severn Gorge. It passes the cradle of the Industrial Revolution at Ironbridge before passing through Bridgnorth, Hampton Loade and Highley (in Shropshire), and Bewdley in Worcestershire, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcester, Upton-upon-Severn and Tewkesbury. It enters Gloucestershire and passes through Gloucester itself before passing Berkeley Castle and following the Severn Estuary past Slimbridge. Originally, the path finished at Severn Beach, but it has recently been extended to Bristol via Lawrence Weston, Shirehampton and through the Avon Gorge. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OEDHlAu5m8

Market Cross, 1500 - ancient area, Shepton Mallet

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 01:42:02 +0000

The Market Cross in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England was built around 1500 and rebuilt in 1841. It is a Grade II* listed building, and has been scheduled as an ancient monument.

The first market cross on the site in the centre of Shepton Mallet by 1500. A plaque says this was funded at a cost of £20 by Walter Buckland and his wife Agnes.

In 1685 following the Monmouth Rebellion 12 of the followers of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth were hanged, drawn and quartered at the market cross.

In 1841 the market cross was rebuilt by George Phillips Manners.

In 2012 the lead on the roof and surrounding stonework was restored. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpqxQOReAeM

The Fox Inn - 18th Century pub, Essex

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 06:38:46 +0000

The Fox Inn is an 18th Century pub, set in the peaceful village of Matching Tye in the beautiful Essex countryside.

The pub offers relaxed dining in the character beamed restaurant or bar area, and a 40 seat function room which is an ideal venue for parties, private gatherings and meetings.

Open 6 days a week, serving good wholesome food from an extensive menu as well as roast dinners every Sunday lunch.

There is a spacious beer garden which is perfect for enjoying the beautiful British summer and the accommodation at the rear of the pub makes for a quiet country getaway.

River Severn - 354 km long, longest river in Great Britain

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 06:15:40 +0000

The River Severn, at 220 miles (354 km) long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of 107 m3/s (3,800 cu ft/s) at Apperley, Gloucestershire.

It rises in the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales, at an altitude of 2,001 feet (610 m), on the Plynlimon massif, which lies close to the Ceredigion/Powys border near Llanidloes. The river then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The county towns of Shrewsbury, Gloucester and the City of Worcester lie on its course. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M48ANM3hAQ

Heswall - town in Wirral, Merseyside, England

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 23:15:49 +0000

Heswall is a town on the Wirral, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census, the population was 16,012, including the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton.

Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 it was part of the administrative county of Cheshire.

Located on the eastern side of the Dee Estuary, with views across the river to North Wales, Heswall is about 20 minutes' drive from the Roman city of Chester and about 20 minutes' drive from Liverpool. The towers of Liverpool's cathedrals can be seen on the horizon from high ground.

Open spaces

There are several areas of open space. The largest is the Dales, an area of dry, sandy heathland overlooking the River Dee. It has the status of both Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Local Nature Reserve (LNR). Within this SSSI lies 'the Dungeon', a small river valley cut into the hillside. A path connects the Dales to the Wirral Way and the coast. Other open areas also overlooking the Dee are the Beacons, and Poll Hill, which is the highest point on the Wirral Peninsula. Whitfield Common, off Whitfield Lane, contains open land as well as playing fields and tennis courts. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OrkZ0hxFb8

Rivington Pike - hill, countryside attraction, Lancashire

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 06:44:32 +0000

Rivington Pike is a hill on Winter Hill, part of the West Pennine Moors at Rivington, Chorley in Lancashire, England. The nearest towns are Adlington and Horwich. The land and building are owned and managed by Chorley Council. The Pike Tower is a prominent local landmark and is located at the summit, it is part of Lever Park. The area is popular with hill walkers and for mountain biking.

The pike at 1,191 feet (363 metres) high is the most westerly high point of Winter Hill in the West Pennine Moors.

The hill had the ancient name in Old English of hreof plus ing meaning the rough or rugged hill and pic, a pointed eminence, the earliest recorded name is Winterhold Pike in 1250 in a grant from Roger Rivington and by 1280 it was known as "Roun pic" within a grant by Cecily Roynton. An ancient road named Belmont Road, continuing on from Georges Lane is referred to in the 1280 deed. The continuation of this road descending from Pigeon Tower to Rivington Rd washed away in 1948, the road is no longer maintained. The hill was recorded as Rovyng in 1325 and Rivenpike in about 1540. Saxton records the name as Rivenpike Hill on his 1577 map. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv8X_NbpYPM

British Commercial Vehicle Museum - historical vehicles museum, Leyland

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 06:29:09 +0000

The British Commercial Vehicle Museum displays antiquarian buses, early fire engines and other historical and commercial vehicles produced by the British manufacturing industry.

The museum is located in King Street, Leyland, Lancashire on part of a site previously occupied by the Leyland Motors factory, the source of many exhibits.

Funding methods include the admission charges and membership tickets. More recently, a major investment by the Heritage Lottery Fund has contributed to a major refurbishment and website redesign by local digital agency Fertile Frog. The museum is now open throughout the year, six days per week ( see website for details ).

Events include Classic Vehicles, Model Makers Exhibition and the Spring Transport Show. [source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfyozkwfhU

Shepton Mallet Prison, 1625 - United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, paranormal activity, Somerset

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 09:18:56 +0000

HMP Shepton Mallet, sometimes known as Cornhill, is a former prison located in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. When it closed in 2013, it was the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, and had been since the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011. Before closure Shepton Mallet was a category C lifer prison holding 189 prisoners. The prison building is grade II* listed, while the former gatehouse and perimeter walls are grade II.

The prison was opened before 1625 but was already in poor repair by the end of the First English Civil War in 1646. It was expanded in 1790 but conditions were again criticised in a report of 1822 and further building work was undertaken in the 1820s and 1830s. This included the installation of a treadwheel for those sentenced to hard labour. In 1843 the number of cells was increased by adding a second storey to each wing. The prison was damaged during a fire in 1904. In 1930 the number of inmates had fallen and the prison was closed.

The prison is associated with many tales of paranormal activity, haunted and ghosts. One the "White Lady", supposedly the ghost of a late 18th-century woman who murdered her betrothed during a lovers' tiff. She was sentenced to death at Shepton Mallet. On the evening before her execution, she asked for her wedding dress to be brought to her, and she wore it to bed, but in the morning was found dead: the suggestion is that she had died of a broken heart. Her ghost has been reported in several places, but principally on A Wing. In the 1950s, the Home Office had to investigate the matter as staff refused to work night shifts on the wing.[source]

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItR13LfMfpg