PLYMOUTH

Devon’s largest city has long been linked with England’s commercial and maritime history. Plymouth actually means "the navy", and special navy days are held every other year in August. Its vast natural harbor has played a significant role in Britain's maritime affairs. Sir Francis Drake sailed from Plymouth to defeat the Spanish Armada. Bomb damage during World War II decimated the city, but the cobbled streets and timber-framed  houses of an old district called the Barbican, escaped damage. The Merchant's House is a particular fine timber building and a local museum. The promenade of the Hoe commands the best views over the nautical comings and goings in Plymouth Sound. Alongside are an excellent aquarium, a vast 17th-century citadel and Plymouth Dome, a high-tech introduction to the city.

Armada Way, Plymouth, Devon

Britain's Ocean City

EXMOOR

 Exmoor, England's smallest national park, packs in a great variety of scenery, from towering cliffs along the coast, to lush, wooded combes riven by sparkling streams, to gentle farmland in the east and wilder moorland in the center and south. The heathland of Exmoor starts abruptly at around 1,000 feet above  sea level, leaving behind lush wooded valleys and productive farmland well sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds. You'll be very lucky to spot any of the resident red deer, but you'll certainly meet a few hardy, dun-colored Exmoor ponies on your travels. To set the scene, you might want to read R.D. Blackmore's historical novel, Lorna Doone, based on stories about a group of 17-th century outlaws who lived in a beautiful part of the park now commonly known as  Doone County.

LORNA DOONE FARM, EXMOOR,  NORTH DEVON

Received from Thomas, Northamptonshire

SOUTH DEVON

With its rolling meadows, narrow lanes and remote thatched cottages, Devon has long been idealized as a vision of preindustrial, "authentic" England. But while many of its cosy, gentrified villages are inhabited largely by retired folk and urban refuges, having little common with its county's strong agricultural, mercantile and maritime traditions, at least the stereotyped image has helped to preserve the countryside and coast in the undeveloped condition for which they are famous, and the county offers an abundance of genuine tranquility, from moorland villages to quiet coves on the spectacular coastline. The south coast's traditional resorts are at their liveliest along the English Riviera around Torbay. The coastline is at its prettiest around the Darmouth and Kingsbridge estuaries - both yachting meccas - while the best of the beaches are at Bigbury Bay.

Postcrossing postcard: GB-174366