11 Best Sights in The West Country, England

A rewarding way to experience the River Dart is to join a cruise from Dartmouth's quay to visit Greenway, the 16th-century riverside home of the Gilbert family (Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland on behalf of Elizabeth I), more famous today for its association with the crime writer Agatha Christie. Mrs. Mallowan (Christie's married name) made it her holiday home beginning in 1938, and the house displays collections of archaeological finds, china, and silver. The gorgeous gardens are thickly planted with magnolias, camellias, and rare shrubs and are richly endowed with panoramic views. Beware, however, that the grounds are steeply laid out, and those arriving by boat face a daunting uphill climb. Allow three hours to see everything; in busy periods, timed tickets for the house are given on arrival. Parking spaces here are restricted and must be booked in advance. Alternatively, ask at the tourist office about walking and cycling routes to reach the house, as well as about the bus service from Greenway Halt (a stop on the Dartmouth Steam Railway). A round-trip ticket between Dartmouth and Greenway costs £13.50 on the Greenway Ferry ( www.greenwayferry.co.uk).

One of Cornwall's greatest country piles, Lanhydrock gives a look into the lives of the upper classes in the 19th century. The former home of the powerful, wealthy Robartes family was originally constructed in the 17th century but was totally rebuilt after a fire in 1881. Its granite exterior remains true to the house's original form, however, and the long picture gallery in the north wing, with its barrel-vaulted plaster ceiling depicting 24 biblical scenes, survived the devastation.

A small museum shows photographs and letters relating to the family, and the house's endless pantries, sculleries, dairies, nurseries, and linen cupboards bear witness to the immense amount of work involved in maintaining their lifestyle. About 900 acres of wooded parkland border the River Fowey, and in spring the gardens present an exquisite ensemble of magnolias, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Allow two hours to see the house and more time to stroll the grounds. Bike rental is also available. The house is 3 miles southeast of Bodmin.

Every ornate detail commands attention at this extravagant, magnificently restored, 35-bedroom, Victorian–Gothic Revival mansion. In addition to splendid woodwork, stained glass, tiles, and original furniture and fabrics, the house contains the modern conveniences of the 1860s, such as a heated billiards table. The servants' quarters are equally absorbing. There's a restaurant and family play area, too. 

You can see the house, garden, and chapel at your own pace, or join a free tour of the gardens and grounds (11 am and 2 pm; no booking required). Arrive early in the day or in the early afternoon on weekdays to avoid the crowds—Monday and Tuesday are the quietest days. Tyntesfield is 7 miles southwest of Bristol; the daily bus service X6 is the most convenient public transport from the city. The house is a 15-minute walk from the bus stop.

A 13th-century Cistercian monastery, Buckland Abbey became the home of Sir Francis Drake in 1581. Today, it's filled with mementos of Drake and the Spanish Armada, but the highlight is a beautifully expressive self-portrait by Rembrandt, displayed in the Georgian dining room. Part of a bequest, the painting was only identified, painstakingly restored, and revealed to the public in 2014. The house, which has a restaurant, is 6 miles south of Tavistock; to get here, take A386 south to Crapstone and then head west.

About 4 miles west of Buckland Abbey and 9 miles southwest of Tavistock, Cotehele House and Quay was formerly a busy port on the River Tamar, but it is now usually visited for the well-preserved, atmospheric late-medieval manor, home of the Edgcumbe family for centuries. The house has original furniture, tapestries, embroideries, and armor, and you can also visit the impressive gardens, a quay museum, and a restored mill. (The mill's operation is currently suspended while repairs take place following damage to the weir upstream.) Choose a bright day or bring a flashlight, because the rooms have no electric light. Shops, crafts studios, a gallery, and a restaurant provide other diversions.

Take advantage of the shuttle bus that runs most days between the house, quay, and mill. Just keep in mind that the shuttle is driven by volunteers, and so is dependent on volunteer availability. Call in advance to confirm the shuttle will be running when you're here.

In the heart of the Barbican section, this former sea captain's home dating from 1599 offers a fascinating insight into how Plymouth residents lived over 350 years ago. The three floors of the timber-frame house are filled with items connected to the people who inhabited the house, including 17th-century furnishings, 18th-century wigs (the house once belonged to a wig-maker), and tea sets. You'll also see a reconstructed kitchen and a spiral staircase built around a ship's mast.

John Pinney, the owner of a Caribbean sugar plantation and the many enslaved people who labored there, lived at this refined address at the end of the 18th century, and the house has been restored and furnished according to how it might have appeared then. The 11 rooms in the house's four floors showcase the contrasting lifestyles of those who lived upstairs, enjoying elegant reception areas and bed chambers, and those who lived below, working in the kitchen and washing up in the basement's cold-water plunge bath. One room provides context on Pinney's—and Bristol's—role in the slave trade.

The 16-sided, nearly circular A la Ronde was built in 1798 by two cousins inspired by the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. Among the 18th- and 19th-century curiosities here are elaborate displays of feathers and shells. The house is 5 miles south of Topsham.

This gorgeous, 14th-century, stone manor house with yard-thick walls, smoke-blackened beams, and an undulating slate-tile roof has been furnished with items from the 17th and 18th centuries. The walls are hung with "samplers"—embroidered poems and prayers usually produced by young girls. One room originally served as a post office and has been restored to its Victorian appearance.

Dating from the Elizabethan era, this former banqueting lodge that once formed part of a much larger property (long since disappeared) is beautifully preserved, with carved oak paneling and grand, manorial fireplaces. The Great Oak Room, along with two smaller spaces here, are the only surviving Elizabethan rooms in Bristol, and the plasterwork ceilings and sturdy oak furniture—including a four-poster bed—are among the finest you'll see anywhere from this period. Among the paintings is one which may be the earliest portrait of an enslaved person in the United Kingdom. There are also memories of the building's time as a reform school for girls, founded by the educational reformer Mary Carpenter and Lord Byron's widow, Annabella, who bought the property in 1854 and shared Carpenter's vision.

An exquisite 18th-century home with many of its original furnishings, Saltram was built around the remains of a late-Tudor mansion. Its jewel is one of Britain's grandest neoclassical rooms—a vast, double-cube salon designed by Robert Adam and hung with paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds, first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, who was born nearby in 1723. Fine plasterwork adorns many rooms, and three have original Chinese wallpaper. The outstanding garden includes rare trees and shrubs, and there's a cafeteria and a tearoom. Saltram is 3½ miles east of Plymouth city center; if you're driving, it's best to use "Romilly Gardens" rather than the postal code for satnav (GPS) purposes.