A Weekend in the Country

Visitors to the UK often think that it's a big country, and to be fair, when you look at a map and the vast expanse of northern Scotland it's easy to assume that you can't travel around. For this reason, many holidaymakers to London ignore the rest of the country altogether, and stay safely within the boundaries of the M25.

Of course, with so much to see and do in the capital, it's no great surprise. For a start there are all the great museums, particularly in Kensington (which, due to the quality of Kensington hotels available through websites like Millennium Hotels makes a great base), and then, even if you exhaust the centre, there's all that the outer boroughs have to offer. However, there is a country out there, and for no more than £20 you can get a train ticket to enjoy one of the finest parts of the UK, Devon.

Croyde

North Devon is a famous place for surfers and people who like the beach. The length of the coastline is filled with beautiful little villages, fantastic B&Bs and great waves. Even if you don't fancy going in the water, you can easily spend a day chilling out on the beach, or enjoy some of the coastal walks and hiking opportunities that run all along the north coast. Easy to get to, Barnstaple, the nearest train station, will take about three and a half hours from central London.

The Moors

You would be hard pressed to find a more dramatic and wild landscape in the UK than the two moors, Exmoor and Dartmoor. Both are high, windy, and extremely remote, and great for people who want to get away from it all. Exmoor is the nearer of the two, and is just along the coast from Croyde, Dartmoor, however, is about twice as large and twice as remote. It's not the kind of place to go if you're not up for a bit of trekking, but the landscape will leave an indelible mark on your memory that you'll never forget.

Lyme Regis

The national home of Dinosaur hunters, the cliffs around Lyme Regis are famous for hiding away ancient fossils and every year the cliff falls reveal new secrets and surprises. Lyme Regis is, in many ways a typical, charming beachfront town, expect lots of fish and chip shops and lots of ice cream on sale. The archaeology offers a different twist to the traditional British beach holiday though, and makes Lyme Regis a fun place to visit with kids.

Any holidaymaker to London should make sure that they check out some destinations outside of the capital, they're easy and relatively cheap to visit, and offer a perspective on Britain which is completely different to the hustle and bustle of the big city. If you're considering a day trip or two, it's worth going the extra couple of miles to check out the best that Devon has on offer.