Slow Devon & Exmoor – explore at leisure with Bradt Travel Guides & Alastair Sawday
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Inspired by the spirit of the Slow Food movement, Bradt Travel Guides’ new series provide a personal insight into some of Britain’s most scenic areas, all written by insiders and complemented by accommodation listings from Alastair Sawday.
Curled up on the sofa of my holiday cottage in East Devon, I began planning my short break with the help of Slow Devon & Exmoor, my first introduction to the new series from Bradt Travel Guides. This particular volume is written by Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt Travel Guides in 1974 and now a resident of Seaton on Devon’s south coast.
I know parts of Devon very well, but hadn’t been to East Devon for some years. So what not to miss on a short spring break? With Hilary as my guide, I managed to discover a huge amount in a short space of time without ever feeling rushed.
I had found it easy to source visitor information on the nearby towns of Honiton, Sidmouth and Exeter, but Slow Devon & Exmoor brought an extra dimension to my exploration with insights into the smaller places so often missed out by mainstream guidebooks. I’d rented an idyllic cottage on a livestock farm from West Country specialists Helpful Holidays (www.helpfulholidays.com) and thanks to Hilary’s book, discovered that the church at nearby Luppitt is one of the most beautiful in the area.
Extra dimension
The Slow series retains the ‘grey boxes’ of other Bradt guides which provide historical insight into people, places and events that shaped an area – great armchair reading before or after you travel. So I was able to discover more about the bell ringers of Devon; the Picturesque ‘mock’ cottages of Sidmouth; and Sir Walter Raleigh, who grew up around Beer.
The nine chapters in Slow Devon & Exmoor divide the county into logical chunks that range from small areas such as Totnes and the River Dart to large sweeps such as North-west Devon and Lundy Island. The Gallery of colour photos at the beginning provides a tempting introduction to the county, whilst a further colour section showcases 30 Special Places to Stay selected by Alastair Sawday.
The first batch of titles in the Slow series also covers Norfolk & Suffolk, North Yorkshire, and Sussex & South Downs National Park, all priced at £14.99.
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