Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Landscapes
Much of the West Country's landscape looks pristine, but in fact it's been worked and man-
aged since the first human settlers arrived here some 10,000 years ago. Much of the penin-
sula was once covered by dense forest, but this was steadily cleared to make way for agri-
culture and industry. By the 19th century large swathes of Devon and Cornwall had effect-
ively become an industrial landscape, pockmarked by slate and china clay quarries, tin and
copper mines, and numerous slag mounds and spoil heaps. Though much of the old in-
dustry has disappeared, you can still see traces of it in the old mining country around St
Agnes, Porthtowan, Portreath and Camborne, where shattered rock and industrial spoil lies
just a few inches beneath the topsoil.
The coastline is undoubtedly the region's most distinctive landscape, with a unique com-
bination of sandy beaches, rockpools, dunes, tidal marshes, estuaries and clifftops. Gener-
ally speaking, the Atlantic-facing north coast tends to be starker and wilder, characterised
by high granite cliffs and large sandy beaches, while the southern coast is gentler, with
fields, meadows and valleys replacing the lofty cliffs. The south coast is also notable for
several large tidal estuaries that punctuate the shoreline, including the Helford, Fal, Fowey,
Tamar and Dart. These sheltered creeks harbour unique subtropical microclimates that al-
low unusual plants, flowers and trees to flourish, and provide the perfect location for many
of the region's great estates and landscaped gardens.
The southwest's other distinctive habitat is its moorland - notably the moors of Dart-
moor, Exmoor, Bodmin and Penwith. These high upland moors are all located on the
massive spine of granite that runs directly down the centre of Devon and Cornwall, formed
by volcanic processes around 300 million years ago. This hard granite is much more
erosion-resistant than other forms of rock, and has worn away more slowly than the sur-
rounding landscape, leaving behind the barren peaks and strangely shaped rock formations
known locally as tors. Incidentally, the same volcanic activity was also responsible for
forming the rich mineral deposits that later underpinned Devon and Cornwall's mining in-
dustries.
Cornwall's granite rocks are rich in natural radioactive isotopes, including thorium, potassium and urani-
um, leading to speculation that they could possibly be used as a source of geothermal energy.
 
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