The Teign Estuary includes the broad tidal river channel, intertidal areas and adjacent lower slopes. The estuary is defined by steeply rising high rounded hills with distinctive folds to the north and south. The river channel and the intertidal mudflats with their dynamic pattern of winding creeks dominate the landscape, and along with the enclosing hills and expansive cross-estuary views, provide a very strong sense of place. At high tide the estuary becomes a large expanse of water and the changing tides and presence of seabirds and waders add diversity and movement. To the south, there is a succession of sheltered inlets with shingle beaches at the mouths of combes; and intervening sandstone cliffs; while to the north gently rising slopes with an undulating shoreline give way to steeper hills around Bishopsteignton and Teignmouth. On these valley sides land use is predominantly pastoral with strong hedgerow patterns. This is often a busy landscape with movement along transport corridors and recreational activity on the estuary although greater tranquillity can be found within secluded combes and along parts of the estuary shore. This landscape has notable views to adjacent landscapes and other landscapes further afield, including Dartmoor; while at the mouth of the estuary Shaldon and Teignmouth frame views out to sea.
This character area has an east-west alignment comprising the tidal section of the River Teign and adjacent farmland between Newton Abbot in the west and Teignmouth in the east. It is flanked to the north by the rising land which forms the lower slopes of the Haldon Ridge, and to the south by the Breccia Hills and Coast.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/teignbridge-and-east-devon-area/teign-estuary
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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This landscape encompasses an undulating elevated area with notable hills which are prominent in views and distinctive in their form and in their patterns of woodland cover. These hills reflect the underling limestone geology which is also expressed in local vernacular buildings and in the woodland and semi-natural grassland flora, and visible in the form of quarries and rock outcrops. Coupled with more distant views to Dartmoor that provide the area with a strong sense of place. Between the hills there are small streams and springs; and to the north and east the River Lemon and Aller Brook create more substantial valleys. This is predominantly a historic rural landscape, both in terms of medieval field patterns, remnant commons, a dense network of winding lanes and nucleated settlements. However it also contains more modern elements which cut across the historic grain including railway lines, pylons, quarrying and landfill activity and housing development on the edge of settlements.
This area comprises elevated farmland with distinctive hills to the west and south of Newton Abbot and includes the river valleys of the Lemon River and Aller Brook to the north and east respectively. To the south the landscape is bounded by a gradual transition into the Dart Valley and to the west by the rising land of the East Dartmoor Moorland Fringes. East of Aller Brook the land rises sharply to form the Breccia Hills and Coast.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/teignbridge-and-east-devon-area/denbury-and-kerswell-farmlands
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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The Torbay Hinterland is a steeply undulating series of hills incised by small streams which extend into the adjacent urban areas. It includes a distinctive rim of landscape which forms the setting and backdrop to Torbay with views across the conurbation out to sea. Here the proximity of the urban edge has resulted in a proliferation of urban fringe development and recreation activities which have fragmented the hedgerow, woodland and land use patterns and made them vulnerable to change. Nevertheless, fingers of green landscape penetrate down the steep valleys into the built up areas of Torbay, creating welcome contrasts and opportunities for recreation. Further west the landscape looks inland, with views to Dartmoor in the west. Here there is a stronger rural character; the folds of the landscape and high hedgebanks lend visual enclosure and a greater degree of tranquillity; the historic pattern of hedgebanks, small woods, winding rural lanes and sparse settlement remains intact; and historic castle sites are a feature that adds to the time depth of the landscape.
The Torbay Hinterland is located adjacent to the coastal resorts of Torbay (Torquay, Paignton and Brixham) and forms a rim of rural landscape that acts as a setting to these settlements, offering views eastwards across the built up area and out to sea. To the west the landscape faces inland and overlooks the tributary valleys of the River Hems. Here the boundary with the Denbury and Kerswell Farmlands is transitional. In contrast the eastern boundary is abrupt and is formed by the urban edge; while to the south the boundary follows the ridge which separates Torbay from the tidal Dart Estuary south-east of Totnes.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/teignbridge-and-east-devon-area/torbay-hinterland
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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The Breccia Hills and Coast is a strongly undulating and highly dissected landscape of deep winding valleys with intervening high rounded ridges, and coastal slopes and combes, with steep red sandstone cliffs along the coast itself. Coastal influence is felt throughout much of the area, with extensive estuary and sea views from the high ridges and coast and estuary slopes providing a strong sense of place. Dense hedgerows and narrow, winding lanes are characteristic, along with small blocks of mixed and broadleaved woodland, occasional old orchards and small parks and tree-lined streams. This landscape has a deeply rural character with scattered farmsteads and small villages within the narrow valleys. Overall, sense of tranquillity is strong, even close to the nearby large settlements of Shaldon, Torbay, Kingskerswell and Newton Abbot, by virtue of the separating steep ridges.
This is a coastal landscape comprising an area of undulating high ridges dissected by deep narrow valleys and traversed by a maze of sinuous lanes and ancient greenways. These ridges are clearly defined on all sides and stand out as distinctive from the surrounding land – the northern edge of the area is marked by the Teign Estuary and the southern edge by the built development of Torquay and Torbay. To the east is the sea and to the west the settlements of Newton Abbot and Kingskerswell set on the valley sides of the Aller Brook. To the south, the area extends as a narrow finger of coastal open plateau between Torquay resort and the sea as far as Hope’s Nose.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/teignbridge-and-east-devon-area/breccia-hills-and-coast
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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This character area comprises the valley of the River Dart and tributaries, and surrounding rolling hills and slopes. The Dart flows through a winding, frequently wooded, narrow gorge for much of its course, widening to a flood plain and more expansive river with weirs and more gentle slopes, particularly to the north of the river. Its tributaries including the River Hems lie in narrow valleys, enclosed by rounded hills with limited tree cover; the landscape tends to broaden at confluences. Views are obtained across and along the valleys in places, to nearby hills and the rising mass of Dartmoor to the west. However many views are relatively short and contained, focusing on the rounded hills and rivers which give this area its sense of place. The area is strongly defined by the steep, winding, narrow wooded valley of the Dart and to a lesser extent by its tributaries and surrounding rolling hills. There is a strong sense of tranquillity within the rolling hills and valleys away from settlement and transport infrastructure.
This area comprises the River Dart and surrounding slopes and hills between the A38 and the foothills of Dartmoor in the west, and Totnes in the east. It is bounded to the south by a marked change to a distinctive landscape of interlocking rounded ridges and incised valleys and to the north by the elevated farmland of Denbury Down.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/teignbridge-and-east-devon-area/mid-dart-valley-and-slopes
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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This is a transitional landscape, linking the upland moor with the lowlands to the south, and forming the backdrop to many views of Dartmoor from the south. It is a landscape of changing colours and textures, with the golds, browns and purples of the moorland contrasting with the vivid greens of the pasture below. Fast-flowing streams rush down the hillsides in steep, narrow valleys which are often clothed in oak woodland. Farms and small villages nestle in valleys or in the folds of the hillsides, surrounded by ancient patterns of fields and linked by a network of twisting sunken lanes. On the moorland there is an extraordinary sense of time-depth, with many abandoned settlements from prehistoric and medieval periods reflecting the ebb and flow of people’s colonisation of the moor.
This area comprises the southern part of Dartmoor and encompasses upland moorland and the south-facing slopes and river valleys below it. The area itself forms a transition from upland to lowland, and its boundaries with surrounding character areas are gradual. It forms a ‘horseshoe’ shape around High Dartmoor South, with Central Dartmoor to the north. To the west is the River Tavy Middle Valley; to the south-west the Plymouth Northern Wooded Slopes; to the south the Plymouth and Modbury Farmland and the Mid Avon Valley and West Dart Valleys and Ridges; and to the east the East Dartmoor Moorland Fringes and the Mid Dart Valley and Slopes.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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This extensive area of remote and wild land contains the highest land in Dartmoor, rising to 621m at High Willhays. Large expanses of blanket bog, heather and grass moorland form broad, uninterrupted skylines broken only by the occasional tor or rock outcrop. The landscape is crossed by a network of streams and valley mires, with thick deposits of peat and blanket bogs which form the sources of many of the major rivers of Devon including the Dart, Teign and Taw. The high levels of tranquillity and remoteness are occasionally interrupted by sounds relating to the long-standing military use of the moor. The strong time-depth of the landscape is reflected in a rich archaeological resource of human activity over many millennia. The high, open moorland affords expansive and panoramic views across the surrounding lower landscapes within the National Park and as far beyond as Exmoor.
This area comprises the unsettled northern parts of High Dartmoor, north of the Dart valley and south of Okehampton. It contains some of the most remote and elevated landscapes within Dartmoor National Park. To the south and east is a gradual transition to Central Dartmoor, and to the west to the Tavistock Dartmoor Fringes. To the north is a more abrupt boundary with the Moretonhamptead Moorland Fringes and the Upper Tamar Tributary Valleys, marked by the change from open moorland to enclosed fields.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/dartmoor-area/high-dartmoor-north
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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This is a high, wild, bleak and evocative landscape which forms the skyline to many views within and beyond Dartmoor National Park to the south, west and east. Although smaller in extent than High Dartmoor North, it can feel even more remote from significant areas of settlement. It is covered in extensive areas of blanket bog and mire which form the sources of many of South Devon’s rivers. The landscape is devoid of modern settlement, roads or other features, yet presents a rich archaeological heritage in the forms of prehistoric ceremonial sites and settlements, and later evidence of mining activity, peat extraction and clay working. It is a landscape which is highly valued for its nature conservation importance, and also for its vital role as a water catchment. In this exposed landscape, the weather has a strong influence on the sense of place, ranging from all-encompassing rain and mist to clear skies, strong colours and outstanding views across south Devon to the sea.
This area comprises the highest land to the south of the Dart valley and forms an upland plateau covered by blanket bog. At the edges of the area there is a gradual transition into the surrounding character areas of Central Dartmoor to the north, and Southern Dartmoor and Fringes to the south.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/dartmoor-area/high-dartmoor-south
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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This landscape forms the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park, and is characterised by a settled rural feel, hummocky topography and steep wooded valleys containing clean, fast-flowing streams. The largest of these contains the River Dart, which runs through a dramatic wooded gorge. The rolling hills and slopes of this area are defined by a strong mosaic of irregular and predominantly pastoral fields, semi-natural woodlands and hedgerow trees, which contribute to its well-wooded character. Patches of heath, bracken and rough grazing enhance its Dartmoor character, and together with the woodland provide constantly changing seasonal colours. The topography and aspect gives much of the area a strong sense of enclosure, with distinctive historic hamlets and farmsteads nestled into the landform.
This area is located at the eastern edge of Dartmoor and includes the town of Ashburton. To the west is an abrupt boundary with Central Dartmoor, defined on the ground by the change from enclosed fields to open moorland. The boundaries on the remaining sides are all much more gradual transitions into the many adjacent landscape character areas, including the Moretonhampstead Moorland Fringes to the north; the Teign Valley and Slopes to the north-east; the Bovey Basin and the Denbury and Kerswell Farmlands to the east; the Mid Dart Valleys and Slopes to the south-east and the Southern Dartmoor and Fringes to the south.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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A landscape characterised by its deep valleys and extensive and varied woodland, interspersed with more open, pastoral landscape. The valley of the Iron Mill Stream (a tributary of the Exe) is spectacularly deep and wooded, almost gorge-like in places. The combination of steep slopes, thick woodland, and the sights and sounds of the Iron Mill Stream create an atmosphere which is quiet, secretive, remote and isolated. The enclosed, wooded valleys contrast with the high, airy and spacious pasture above. This higher land is patterned with hedges and punctuated by copses and larger woods, with long-range views in all directions, Exmoor especially catching the eye in views from the northern part of the area.
This area is located to the west of the Exe Valley and is dominated by a series of wooded valleys, including several tributaries of the River Exe. To the east is a gradual transition into the Exe Valley. To the south is another gradual transition into the less wooded landscapes of the Crediton Rolling Farmland and the Yeo, Culm and Exe Lowlands. To the west and north is the higher and more open landscape of Witheridge and Rackenford Moor.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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