How far does 'South' Devon extend

[Captain Kernow]

Not being sure about this, I posted some photos of Crediton on the Southern Railways group...

[Kris]

I saw you'd popped those up on the southern group and very nice they are too. As to how far does South Devon extend, well it's very much in the SWAG group area so a little annexing might be allowable, even expected every now and again

[Ramblin Rich]

Hmmmmm.... overlaps... I've an interest in the North Devon area (& also Cornwall) in BR blue era - I think I have to join a few groups!

[D1072]

As a (former) native of Devon, its geography seems to be defined by Dartmoor, Exeter and the Exe:

 

Anything east of the Exe is east Devon, South Devon is south of Dartmoor, Exeter and west of the exe but often excludes Plymouth.

West Devon - Bere Alston, Tavistock, Tamar Valley (but do you include the upper Tamar Valley?)

I would put Crediton as Mid Devon along with the line from Cowley Bridge Jn. to Okehampton.

In terms of railway operations, rolling stock etc it was in very different territory from Newton Abbot. Also South Devon is characterised by red sandstone.

Where does north Devon start? Okehampton if you're in Plymouth! Perhaps from a railway point of view we should say north of Coleford Junction, and north east of Halwill Junction.

[8752]

As a matter of irrelevance/record my father was employed for many years by Mid Devon District Council in its Crediton office! I have always regarded Mid Devon as a purely bureaucratic invention and that Devon consisted of North and South the dividing line being a one drawn, roughly, across the southern slopes of Exmoor and Dartmoor.

[Donw]

I have never heard anyone describe Crediton as South Devon as said above Dartmoor divides Devon. A large part of Exmoor is actually in Somerset so most of North Devon is around Barnstaple. The bit in the Middle through Crediton, Bow and Okehampton tends to be just passed through by the Holliday traffic. I suspect most locals would regard it as Mid Devon if asked. But hey if they are good pictures whoose to complain.

Don

[Siberian Snooper]

For council purposes Okehamton is in West Devon. I went to school there.

 

Cheers SS

 

Edit PS. It's the best thing to do is pass straight through it albeit in the school holidays very slowly, although now you can whizz right round it.

[Kris]

Still as this group now takes on the whole of Devon Crediton certainly falls into the right area.

[Kris]

On my map its says "Here be Drgaons" somewhere north of Plymouth......

 

That where the mother in law lives then?

[R A Watson]

On my map its says "Here be Drgaons" somewhere north of Plymouth......

 

I believe the folk who live on the Moor still believe in dragons, that's why they breed giant dogs!

 

Wally

[Guest Belgian]

Well, my tuppence-worth says:

 

The South Devon Railway ran from Exeter to Plymouth and the North Devon Railway ran from Cowley Bridge Junction to Barnstaple etc. (I don't think there ever was a pucca East Devon Railway nor a West Devon Railway).

 

Therefore I would suggest the boundary between North and South Devon railways is Exeter. South Devon = GWR lines, North Devon = LSWR/SR lines. (The line beyond Okehampton to Plymouth was always referred to as "The Dartmoor Main Line", as was the South Devon's line from Totnes to Plymouth!)

 

JE

[Siberian Snooper]

On my map its says "Here be Drgaons" somewhere north of Plymouth......

 

And I thought that they lived West of the tamar,

[R A Watson]

 

 

And I thought that they lived West of the tamar,

 

Guess who used to live on the moor.