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South West England stretches from Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds down to Dorset and westwards as far as Cornwall. It has the largest area of all the UK regions, within which you can find a huge variety of urban and natural landscapes.
The region has a population of 5 million with over 15 million visitors drawn here every year. This section will give you an overview of living in the region and you can find more details at www.visitsouthwest.co.uk.
The region’s vibrant urban centres range from the historical streets of Bath, to the picturesque English Riviera and the dynamism of Bristol. The South West really can cater for whatever lifestyle you may wish for, whether your interests lie in shopping, music, dining, sport, theatre or literature. Cities in the South West include Bath, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cheltenham, Exeter, Gloucester, Plymouth and Torbay.
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In contrast to the energy of the region’s cities is the quiet beauty of the coastline and countryside. South West England offers some of the most varied and scenic natural landscapes in the UK. It has over 600 miles of coastline and thousands of acres of forest, moor land and wetland, with a diverse array of flora and fauna.
South Devon and Dorset feature the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage site where 180 million years of geology can be found along 95 miles of cliffs. The stunning sandy beaches of Croyde in Devon and Newquay in Cornwall rank among the best places to surf in Europe. 
Off the coasts of South West England you can find a variety of small islands including the Isles of Sicily, Lundy and tiny nature reserves like Steep Holm in the Bristol Channel.
The region has to two national parks, Exmoor and Dartmoor, presenting visitors with some of the most beautiful, yet rugged countryside in the UK. In addition, there are 14 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as some extraordinary manmade features, both ancient and modern, all of which create a vivid heritage for the region.
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Badgers, bats, otters, squirrels and deer have habitats across the region, while along our Atlantic coasts marine creatures can be spotted, including the Atlantic grey seal, basking sharks and dolphins. The region’s wetland areas, such as the Exe estuary and the Somerset levels, are home to rare and fascinating birdlife such as avocets, chough, peregrine and puffins. Our many acres of forest, such as the Forest of Dean, the Mendips and the Wye Valley, boast beautiful fauna including bluebells and orchids in amongst a wide variety of trees and shrubs. You can find more details at www.naturesouthwest.co.uk.
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 A rich cultural heritage can be seen at the Stone Age rock formations of Stonehenge. Set among the beauty of the Salisbury Plains and at over 5000 years old, these stone formations are one of the great wonders of the ancient world. You can find more details of this and other heritage sites at www.livingheritagesouthwest.co.uk.
The Eden Project is another notable attraction in the South West, which since its opening in 2001 has become a world renowned horticultural and environmental centre. There are many other landmarks, stately homes, castles and gardens in the region, all of which allow you to experience some of the UK's culture and history over the centuries.
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Excellent public transport services by bus, coach and rail, provide connections within South West England, as well as to the rest of the UK and Europe. London is less than 3 hours away by train, while an extensive road network links the South West directly to many other large cities in the UK.
The region has airports at Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth, Plymouth and Newquay, with international flights providing links from the South West to the rest of the Europe and the World. London Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, is as little as 2 hours away and Birmingham International Airport is as little as 1 hour away. Ferry ports at Plymouth and Poole provide regular services to France, Spain and the Channel Islands.
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The UK offers a climate that is temperate, but well known for being hugely changeable and for this reason British people tend to talk a lot about the weather. Due to its northerly latitude the UK experiences long summer days, but on the other hand winter days are short. South West England offers the mildest climate in the UK with warmer summers and winters than the rest of the country.
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