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Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The award of five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) is a fitting recognition of the world-class quality of Devon's landscapes. We set a high value on these precious and unique regions and welcome you to enjoy the many things that they have to offer.

For peace and a landscape little changed by the passing years, Blackdown Hills AONB is a delight. Ancient woodland and quiet backwaters, dramatic wooded scarps and gentle south-facing slopes combine into an important wildlife habitat.

South Devon AONB offers sheltered, hidden coves, jagged cliffs and stretches of golden sand and a haven for one of the UK's widest range of birds. The pastoral South Hams peninsula is a land of flowering hedgerows, ancient sunken lanes and thatched cottages.

In East Devon AONB estuaries, heaths and cliff top grasslands all create important natural habitats. The Undercliff, an 8km landslip by Axmouth, is of great geological and wildlife interest.

North Devon AONB stretches from Coombe Martin all the way to Cornwall. A coastal plateau, famous for its formidable cliffs and razor-sharp reefs, meets glorious open beaches and the huge dune systems of Braunton Burrows.

The Tamar Valley AONB is one of the last unspoilt drowned valley river systems in England. Its rivers flow through deep meanders, steep gorges and wooded valleys to emerge in Plymouth's estuary.