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Sites of International Importance

Outstanding as Devon is for the beauty of its world-class landscapes, it also has three remarkable areas recognised as sites of international significance by UNESCO.

The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site is up there with all the world's most famous attractions - China's Great Wall, Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the mighty ruins of Angkor in Cambodia. Its 95 miles display unbroken evidence of 185 million years of earth's history - something you won't find anywhere else in the world.

Braunton Burrows Biosphere Reserve, Britain's first such reserve, is an important area of sand dunes, expanded recently to include Northam Burrows, the Taw-Torridge estuary and Braunton Marshes. It owes its selection to its amazing diversity of rare plants - look for water germander and orchids - and continuous human use over the centuries.

The Tamar Valley has a double claim to fame. Not only is it an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it now has the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project, part of the World Heritage Site of Cornwall & West Devon's Mining Landscape. The site celebrates the contribution made locally to Britain's industrial revolution and, indeed, to mining throughout the world.