English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark

A Geopark is an area of globally recognised, unique geological interest designated by UNESCO. A place where you can touch a very special part of the Earth's story and be amazed by extraordinary landscapes, mountains, coastlines, places and people.

One of Earth's Extraordinary Places, The English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark covers the entire area of Torbay and is Naturally Inspiring. It shares stories of a landscape untouched by glaciation unseen elsewhere in the world. Stories of ancient tropical seas and scorching deserts, raised beaches and drowned forests, and evidence of early humans with one of the most important Stone Age sites in Europe.

But there is more to this Geopark than simply a fascinating window into our planet’s distant heritage. The resonance of these truly ancient roots endure in the modern make-up of its architecture and buildings, its cultural and artistic roots, its creation of a sense of region and place.