Named the eighth greenest area of Great Britain in a 2024 poll, the South West is packed with natural spaces for you to enjoy. Research from the Office of National Statistics looked at the number of parks, public gardens and playgrounds within a 1km radius, and the South West was definitely found to be blooming. Whether you’re looking for a big city park or something more rural for a day out, you won’t need to travel far to fill your lungs with fresh air.
Inner city escapes
Exeter alone boasts more than 12 parks, plenty of playing fields and several picturesque valley parks. Belmont Park is one of the most popular green spaces in the city and has been providing a breath of fresh air to Exeter’s citizens since 1886.
While further south in Cornwall, the Lost Gardens of Heligan has more than 200 acres of historic gardens and woodland. And the Eden Project is well known for its futuristic biomes with tropical and Mediterranean plants. Down in Plymouth, Central Park is the largest green space. It was created in 1928 to help factory-working city dwellers get some fresh air into their lungs on their days off. With wide pathways in the park, and woodlands surrounding the space, you just need to follow the track and you’ll be spoilt with stunning views across the whole city.
Give me moor
If it’s a real rural escape you need, then you could do a lot worse than visit one of the South West’s areas of outstanding natural beauty. Dartmoor and Exmoor, for example, are both sprawling areas of rugged landscape, uninterrupted by modern housing, and are perfect for getting away from the stresses of everyday life and perhaps spotting some of the wild ponies or deer who live there… or perhaps even the famous beast of Dartmoor!
Both Exmoor and Dartmoor are dominated by beautiful moorland, woodland, rivers and coastal paths, all of which have been shaped by nature and people over thousands of years. Ideal for walking, running or cycling, a day out on one of the moors will really rejuvenate your spirit and leave you feeling inspired to take on whatever life holds for you next.
Going green in the South West
Enjoy and help to maintain the beautiful green spaces of the South West by getting involved with one of these projects
The team at the Eden Project have transformed a bleak former clay mine into a sprawling green global garden. Visit the famous biomes to see the largest indoor rainforest in the world, and walk through the beautiful outdoor gardens to see all that nature has to offer. You can support this fantastic initiative by becoming a member, making a donation or adopting one of the weird and wonderful rainforest creatures that calls it home, from roul-roul partridges to geckos, tree frogs and even ants.
A new national forest is being planted across the South West, spanning Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Bristol and Somerset – from the Mendips to the Cotswolds. Some 2,500 hectares of woodland are due to be created by 2030, with more than 20 million trees planted in the Western Forest. The initiative aims to expand, restore and reconnect diminishing woodland cover to protect vulnerable and rare woodland priority species including Beckstein’s bat and dormouse. Join the West of England Nature Partnership’s mailing list to find out more.
Operating across all the counties in the South West, the South West Bees Project is working to protect 23 threatened species of bees, who face extinction due to factors including climate change and building work. The South West is of national importance for bees due to its climate and habitats, but over the past 50 years, several bees have gone extinct in the region. Join the project to support their work. You can become a member from just £3 a month.
