Holiday cottages

The South West region is probably England's most well-known holiday hotspot, being home to some of the most famous seaside resorts. Pretty villages and harbours in Cornwall, many with sweeping sandy beaches, such as St Ives, Polzeath and Port Isaac to name but a few, give way to sophisticated seaside resorts in Devon and Dorset which include Bournemouth, Torquay and Ilfracombe. The history of this region is unrivalled; Wiltshire's spectacular downland and the stone circles at Avebury and Stonehenge, through Hardy's Dorset, dramatic Dartmoor and gentler Exmoor, to the mining landscapes of Cornwall and West Devon, which are now recognised as being of international significance, having been awarded World Heritage Site status in 2006. The Trust protects 370 miles of the coastline in Devon and Cornwall and, wherever you are in the two far western counties, you're never more than 25 miles from the sea. As well as this peninsula, the Trust also cares for much of the countryside in Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset and a wide array of fascinating properties to visit and explore. Not surprisingly, perhaps, this area is also home to the widest selection of National Trust holiday cottages.

Many thousands of visitors drive across the rolling downlands of south and west Wiltshire passing Stonehenge on one of the main routes to holiday destinations in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Those who do break their journey with a visit to the stone circle at Avebury, one of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe, or to glorious Stourhead, are captivated by the rolling countryside of this part of the ancient kingdom of Wessex. In the heart of rural Wiltshire is the historic village of Lacock, with its Abbey and High Street, now famous as the location for TV and film dramas, including Lark Rise to Candleford. National Trust Cottages give you an opportunity to stay within the stone circle itself at Avebury, or in Lacock's High Street.