Plymouth, United Kingdom + Add a trip

Automobiles

The A303 will take you all the way from the London orbital to Exeter in under four hours (traffic permitting); Exeter is about four-hour drive southwest of London. The M5 connects Devon to the north via Bristol (90 minutes) and Birmingham (three hours). A car is invaluable once there, for pootling along the coast or cruising along the country lanes. If you want to hire, Smith members get a 10 per cent discount at Hertz. Go to www.hertz.co.uk or see our travel offers listings for more details, and quote '635230' when you make your reservation.

Planes

Air Southwest flies to Plymouth from London Gatwick, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Jersey, for about £30 each way (www.airsouthwest.com).

Trains

There are regular trains from London Paddington to Exeter and Plymouth. The journey takes two or three hours.

Dialing

Country code for the UK: +44.

Reads

Read Arthur Conan Doyle's spine-chiller The Hound of the Baskervilles then head for Dartmoor and see if you don't get a bit scared... Poet Alice Oswald's award-winning Dart creates a rich narrative around the Devon river. Agatha Christie's page-turning whodunnit Evil Under the Sun is set in a Noël Coward-esque hotel, based on Burgh Island.

Do go / Don't Go

Think twice about the seaside resorts during school holidays unless you really really love kids.

Cuisine

Taxis

Even at train stations, it can be hard to find a cab, so book your pick-ups ahead - or ask your hotel to do it for you. Plymouth Taxis (+44 (0)1752 606060) operates a licensed fleet of wheelchair-friendly London cabs with uniformed drivers. Tavistock has several local cab companies; try Jay Cars (+44 (0)7860 298808).

Tipping

About 10-15 per cent is appreciated.

Currency

Pound sterling.

Packing

If you've got one, a wetsuit is handy for taking the initial edge off the bracing English Channel waters, whether you're surfing the waves or just swimming. There are plenty of restaurants to dress up for, but remember to take some good walking boots, too: general outdoorsy gear is likely to serve you well on forays into the National Park.

Arts

Saltram house in Plympton (+44 (0)1752 333500) is a grand Georgian home with exquisite gardens and interiors, plus paintings by Reynolds. The National Trust property may look familiar: it was used to represent the Dashwoods' pad in the film of Sense and Sensibility. Buckland Abbey in Yelverton (+44 (0)1822 853607), once home to Sir Francis Drake, is all Tudor splendour and landmark gardens. If you like your culture prehistoric, head to Dartmoor, which has more Bronze Age standing stones (or menhirs) than anywhere else in the UK. The Beardown Man near Devil's Tor is especially spooky.

And...

The 90-foot White Lady waterfall at Lydford Gorge near Okehampton is a spectacular sight, and a rewarding one for anyone who walks along the arduous but lushly beautiful ravine. Look out for kingfishers.

Shopping

Tavistock's Farmers' Market, normally on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, is a great place to go browsing and grazing (www.tavistockfarmersmarket.com). Otherwise, visit a local farm shop: Beeches Farm (+44 (0)1822 833661) is known for its rare-breed pork, sold from the farm gate. Cheesephiles can sample then select their chunk of Little Stinky or Devon Sage at Country Cheeses in Tavistock (+44 (0)1822 615035; www.countrycheeses.co.uk). Marystow Farm Enterprises (+44 (0)1822 860420) in Lifton only makes between 12 and 20 jars of jams and condiments at a time on its Aga; be naughty and pass them off as your own.

Viewpoint

At 621 metres, High Willhays on Dartmoor is the highest point in southern England, and - unsurprisingly perhaps - affords beautiful panoramic views across remote open country. Avoid the area if you see any red flags raised, though - they indicate that the British Army is using the area for training exercises.

Something

The 90-foot White Lady waterfall at Lydford Gorge near Okehampton is a spectacular sight, and a rewarding one for anyone who walks along the arduous but lushly beautiful ravine. Look out for kingfishers.

March Exeter Festival of South West England Food & Drink hails local produce (www.visitsouthwest.co.uk). May/June English Wine Week is celebrated all over, but Devon's many vineyards make it one of the best places for tasting events and tours (www.englishwineweek.co.uk). June North Devon Festival, centred in Barnstaple, hosts live music, food, theatre and literature events (www.northdevonfestival.org). Goldcoast Oceanfest worships sun, sea and surfing in Croyde Bay (www.goldcoastoceanfest.co.uk). July The Port Eliot Lit Fest, held in a stately home near Saltash, draws big names from the art, music and cabaret worlds, as well as big bookish names, such as Zadie Smith and DBC Pierre (www.porteliotlitfest.com). October Tavistock's annual Goose Fair has attracted traders since the 12th century, but the two-day event is no longer restricted to poultry shifters: today, stallholders from all over the country descend to sell and to entertain (www.tavistock.gov.uk).