South West England is one of the
regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, covering including
Bristol,
Gloucestershire,
Somerset,
Dorset,
Wiltshire,
Devon,
Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly. It has a population of almost five million, and includes the area often known as the
West Country, and much of
Wessex. The size of the region is shown by the fact that the northern part of Gloucestershire, near
Chipping Campden, is as close to the Scottish border as it is to the tip of Cornwall.
South West Regional Assembly, Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West, para.1.1.1 The largest city is
Bristol, and other major urban centres include
Plymouth,
Swindon,
Gloucester,
Exeter, and the
South East Dorset conurbation of
Bournemouth,
Poole and
Christchurch.
Traditionally, the South West of England has been well known for producing
Cheddar cheese, which originated in the
Somerset village of
Cheddar, for
Devon cream teas, and for
cider. It is now probably equally well known as the home of the
Eden Project,
Aardman Animations, the
Glastonbury festival, the
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta,
trip hop music and also Cornwall's famous seafood restaurants and
surfing beaches. Two
National Parks and four
World Heritage Sites, including
Stonehenge, fall within the region's boundaries. Key data and facts about the region are produced by the
South West Observatory.
Geography
on
Dartmoor,
Devon: the region's highest point.]]
Geology and landscape
Most of the South West occupies a
peninsula between the
English Channel and
Bristol Channel. It has of coastline
South West Regional Assembly, Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West, paras.1.1.3 and 7.2.1—the longest of any region of England—much of which is now protected from further substantial development because of its environmental importance, which contributes to the region’s attractiveness to tourists and residents.
Geologically the region is divided into the largely igneous and metamorphic west and sedimentary east, the dividing line slightly to the west of the
River Exe. Cornwall and West Devon's landscape is of rocky coastline and high moorland, notably at
Bodmin Moor and
Dartmoor National Park. These are due to the
granite and
slate that underlie the area. The highest point of the region is
High Willhays, at , on
Dartmoor. In North Devon the slates of the west and limestones of the east meet at
Exmoor National Park. The variety of rocks of similar ages seen here have led to the county's name being lent to that of the
Devonian period.
The east of the region is characterised by wide, flat clay
vales and
chalk and
limestone downland. The vales, with good irrigation, are home to the region's dairy agriculture. The
Blackmore Vale was
Thomas Hardy's "Vale of the Little Dairies"; another, the
Somerset Levels was created by reclaiming wetlands. The
Southern England Chalk Formation extends into the region, creating a series of high, sparsely populated and archaeologically rich downs, most famously
Salisbury Plain, but also
Cranborne Chase, the
Dorset Downs and the
Purbeck Hills. These downs are the principal area of
arable agriculture in the region. Limestone is also found in the region, at the
Cotswolds,
Quantock Hills and
Mendip Hills, where they support sheep farming. All of the principal rock types can be seen on the
Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon, where they document the entire
Mesozoic era from west to east.
Climate
The climate of South West England is classed as
oceanic (
Cfb) according to the
Köppen climate classification. The oceanic climate typically experiences cool winters with warmer summers and precipitation all year round, with more experienced in winter. Annual rainfall is about and up to on higher ground. Summer maxima averages range from to and winter minimum averages range from to across the south-west. It is the second windiest area of the United Kingdom, the majority of winds coming from the south-west and north-east. Government organisations predict the region to rise in temperature and become the hottest region in the United Kingdom.
Inland areas of low altitude experience the least amount of precipitation. They experience the highest summer maxima temperatures, but winter minima are colder than the coast. Snowfalls are more frequent in comparison to the coast, but less so in comparison to higher ground. It experiences the lowest wind speeds and sunshine total in between that of the coast and the moors. The climate of inland areas is more noticeable the further north-east into the region.
In comparison to inland areas, the coast experiences high minimum temperatures, especially in
winter, and it experiences slightly lower maximum temperatures during the summer. Rainfall is the lowest at the coast and snowfall is rarer than the rest of the region. Coastal areas are the windiest parts of the peninsula and they receive the most sunshine. The general coastal climate is more typical the further south-west into the region.
Areas of
moorland inland such as:
Bodmin moor,
Dartmoor and
Exmoor experience lower temperatures and more precipitation than the rest of the south west (approximately twice as much rainfall as lowland areas), because of their high altitude. Both of these factors also cause it to experience the highest levels of snowfall and the lowest levels of sunshine. Exposed areas of the moors are windier than lowlands and can be almost as windy as the coast.
Settlements
in Georgian Bath, Somerset: the entire city is a World Heritage Site.]]
The South West region is largely rural, with small towns and villages; a higher proportion of people live in such areas than in any other English region. The largest cities and towns are
Bristol,
Plymouth,
Bournemouth and
Poole (collectively the
South East Dorset conurbation),
Swindon,
Gloucester,
Cheltenham,
Torbay,
Exeter,
Bath,
Weston-super-Mare,
Salisbury,
Taunton and
Weymouth. The population of the South West is about five million.
Transport
The region lies on
several main line railways. The
Great Western Main Line runs from London to Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth and
Penzance in the far west of Cornwall. The
South Western Main Line runs from London and Southampton to Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth in Dorset. The
West of England Main Line runs from London to Exeter via south Wiltshire, north Dorset and south Somerset. The
Wessex Main Line runs from Bristol to Salisbury and on to Southampton. The
Heart of Wessex Line runs from
Bristol in the north of the region to Weymouth on the south
Dorset coast via
Westbury,
Castle Cary and
Yeovil, with most services starting at
Gloucester.
Three major roads enter the region from the east. The
M4 motorway from London to South Wales via Bristol is the busiest. The
A303 cuts through the centre of the region from Salisbury to
Honiton, where it merges with the
A30 to continue past Exeter to the west of Cornwall. The
A31, an extension of the
M27, serves Poole and Bournemouth and the Dorset coast. The
M5 runs from the
West Midlands through Gloucestershire, Bristol and Somerset to Exeter. The
A38 serves as a western extension to Plymouth. There are three other smaller motorways in the region, all
in the Bristol area.
Passenger airports in the region include
Bristol,
Exeter,
Plymouth,
Newquay and
Bournemouth.
Transport policy
]]
As part of the transport planning system the Regional Assembly is under statutory requirement to produce a
Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) to provide long term planning for transport in the region. This involves region wide transport schemes such as those carried out by the
Highways Agency and
Network Rail.