Cultural Devon / Devon's History and Heritage / Prehistoric Devon

Prehistoric Devon

Give yourself time to slow down and drop out of today's busy life. Surround yourself with the ancient sights and sounds of Devon's prehistoric lands and feel history stretching back to time immemorial, for parts of Devon are seriously old.

Wander the empty plateaux of Dartmoor, its scenery little changed for millions of years. Feel the years echo around you. Swept by constant gales, craggy granite rocks worn by countless centuries of sun, wind and rain, only the occasional remains of stone huts, circles and cromlechs remind you that once, in an infinitely remote past, men lived here in this inhospitable spot.

Dartmoor dates back some 280 million years, so the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, with its 185 million years, is a mere youngster. But this fascinating site displays over its 95 miles unbroken evidence of its development over that period. That's something you won't find anywhere else in the world.