The South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covers 337 square kilometres, including much of the South Hams

South Hams

South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe — the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 16,056....

 area of Devon and the rugged coastline from Jennycliff to Elberry Cove near Brixham

Brixham

Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port. Fishing and tourism are its major industries. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of...

. The purpose of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...

 is to preserve and enhance the beauty of certain areas of countryside. South Devon AONB was established in 1960.

Towns and villages within the area include Bigbury

Bigbury

Bigbury is a village and civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 582.The parish council meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 7.30pm in Bigbury Memorial Hall...

/Burgh Island

Burgh Island

Burgh Island is a small tidal island off the coast of South Devon in England near to the small seaside village of Bigbury-on-Sea. There are several buildings on the island, the largest being the Art Deco Burgh Island Hotel...

, Kingsbridge

Kingsbridge

Kingsbridge is a market town and popular tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of about 5,800. It is situated at the northern end of the Kingsbridge Estuary, which is a textbook example of a ria and extends to the sea six miles south of the town.-History:The...

, Newton Ferrers

Newton Ferrers

Newton Ferrers is a village in the civil parish of Newton and Noss in the English county of Devon, located about south-east of Plymouth on the River Yealm estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...

, Salcombe

Salcombe

Salcombe is a town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, built mostly on the steep west side of the estuary and lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

 on the Kingsbridge Estuary, Slapton

Slapton, Devon

Slapton is a village in Devon, England. It is located near the A379 road between Kingsbridge and Dartmouth, and lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . In 2001 the population of the civil parish of Slapton was 473...

, Wembury

Wembury

Wembury is a village on the south coast of Devon, very close to Plymouth Sound. Wembury is also the name of the peninsula in which the village is situated. The village lies in the administrative district of the South Hams within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The South West...

, and Dartmouth

Dartmouth, Devon

Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...

 and Kingswear

Kingswear

Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth...

 on either side of the River Dart Estuary

River Dart

The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.-Watercourse:...

.

The AONB also includes several Sites of Special Scientific Interest, including two National Nature Reserve

National Nature Reserve

For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...

s and three Special Areas of Conservation

Special Area of Conservation

A Special Area of Conservation is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive , also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora...

. It contains nationally important populations of greater horseshoe bat

Greater Horseshoe Bat

The Greater Horseshoe Bat is a European bat of the Rhinolophus genus. Its distribution covers Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia. It is the largest of the European Horseshoe Bats and is thus easily distinguished from other species...

, cirl bunting

Cirl Bunting

The Cirl Bunting , Emberiza cirlus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....

, shore dock

Rumex

The docks and sorrels, genus Rumex L., are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae....

 and great green bush cricket

Tettigoniidae

The family Tettigoniidae, known in American English as katydids and in British English as bush-crickets, contains more than 6,400 species. It is part of the suborder Ensifera and the only family in the superfamily Tettigonioidea. They are also known as long-horned grasshoppers, although they are...

.

The AONB also includes a section of the South West Coast Path

South West Coast Path

The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...

, 10 kilometres of cliffs at Bolt Head

Bolt Head

Bolt Head is a National Trust headland on the South Coast of Devon, Britain, situated west of the Kingsbridge Estuary.-External links:*...

, Bolberry Down

Bolberry Down

Bolberry Down is a clifftop area on the coast of Devon, England. The headland of Bolt Tail lies to the west and Bolt Head and the town of Salcombe to the east. It is one of the longest coastal areas owned by the National Trust and lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.It...

 which is one of the longest stretches of coast belonging to the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

 and Prawle Point

Prawle Point

Prawle Point is a coastal headland in south Devon, EnglandIt is the southernmost point of Devon.Access is from the village of East Prawle along a single-track road, at the end of which a National Trust car park is present....

, the southernmost point in Devon.

External links

• South Devon AONB – official website