South Hams

==Geography==

==Geography==

The district's geography can be described in terms of three loosely-defined bands: a coastal band of bays, headlands, birdlife, fishing and small harbour towns with the estuaries and [[ria]]s; a middle band with the main, well-conserved towns; and a sparsely populated band of upland [[National parks of England and Wales|National Park]] moorland in the north. For over a century its tourism was concentrated around the [[Exeter to Plymouth Line|railway]], with most stations built here from 1847 to 1872 so tourism to its beaches and fishing villages began in earnest later than to the '[[English Riviera]]' east of the area. South Hams' widespread tourism multiplied on the dualling of the [[A38 road (Great Britain)|A38]] and time-cutting construction of the [[M5 motorway|M5]] and [[A303 road|A303]] across other parts of [[South West England|south-west England]].

The district's geography can be described in terms of three loosely defined bands: a coastal band of bays, headlands, birdlife, fishing and small harbour towns with the estuaries and [[ria]]s; a middle band with the main, well-conserved towns; and a sparsely populated band of upland [[National parks of England and Wales|National Park]] moorland in the north. For over a century its tourism was concentrated around the [[Exeter to Plymouth Line|railway]], with most stations built here from 1847 to 1872 so tourism to its beaches and fishing villages began in earnest later than to the '[[English Riviera]]' east of the area. South Hams' widespread tourism multiplied on the dualling of the [[A38 road (Great Britain)|A38]] and time-cutting construction of the [[M5 motorway|M5]] and [[A303 road|A303]] across other parts of [[South West England|south-west England]].

{{blockquote|In the north, there is...the "wildscape"—...[a new] bypass [to the A30, the [[A30 road (Great Britain)|A38]]]...cut[s] through some of the most beautiful country in Britain, that of the Dartmoor national park....while in the south-west there is [[china clay country|extensive mining of china clay]]...[an abortive] tungsten mine in the [[Shaugh Prior]] — [[Sparkwell]] area will be [would have been] amongst the largest in the world and probably the largest in Europe. The wildscape band runs from Cadover Bridge and Shaugh Prior in the west right over to the other side of Dartmoor, to the [[River Avon, Devon|Avon]] dam, Shipley Bridge and [[South Brent]], touching the outskirts of [[Buckfastleigh]].

{{blockquote|In the north, there is...the "wildscape"—...[a new] bypass [to the A30, the [[A30 road (Great Britain)|A38]]]...cut[s] through some of the most beautiful country in Britain, that of the Dartmoor national park....while in the south-west there is [[china clay country|extensive mining of china clay]]...[an abortive] tungsten mine in the [[Shaugh Prior]] — [[Sparkwell]] area will be [would have been] amongst the largest in the world and probably the largest in Europe. The wildscape band runs from Cadover Bridge and Shaugh Prior in the west right over to the other side of Dartmoor, to the [[River Avon, Devon|Avon]] dam, Shipley Bridge and [[South Brent]], touching the outskirts of [[Buckfastleigh]].