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.

Dorset is Thomas Hardy country - an appealing mixture of rolling heath land, secluded valleys, picturesque villages, great houses and estates, and a coastline awash with natural beauty. The spectacular Jurassic Coast is just one of the many wonders Dorset has to offer and has shaped the county?s history - from the rugged Isle of Purbeck and the sweeping Chesil Beach to the quaint charm of Lyme Regis and Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour. National Trust properties in Dorset include Corfe Castle, Kingston Lacy and Clouds Hill once the cottage retreat of T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), while other attractions include the seaside resort of Bournemouth and the county town of Dorchester.