6: Outstandingly beautiful countryside
Whichever direction you go from Axminster you are quickly into some of Britain’s most stunning landscapes. Rolling green countryside built from a patchwork of irregularly shaped fields is cut by wooded valleys and bordered by thick hedges and narrow country lanes.
Three designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty surround Axminster. The East Devon AONB includes dramatic cliffs telling a 185 million year story of earth’s history and attractive coastal villages. It takes in the World Heritage Site ‘Jurassic’ coastline and the 630-mile South West Coast Path.
Immediately north of Axminster is the Blackdown Hills AONB with its steep ridges, high plateaux, river valleys and springs creating a delightful mosaic of countryside dotted with farms, villages, and habitats. Just a mile or so east you are into the vales of the Dorset AONB, which stretches all the way across half the county to Poole Harbour.
Location: Post Office, West Street
Sponsor: East Devon AONB
Designer: Nicola Hobson
“I wanted to come up with a design that celebrates the fact that we have three AONBs on our doorstep. The buzzard is the logo for our own East Devon AONB and a bird we see all the time. Beyond that, for me its about rolling hills coming down to beautiful coastline. I chose purple as the dominant colour to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”