A week of good weather has provided a much needed shot in the arm for the Westcountry tourist industry with thousands of visitors and locals heading out in the region.
High weekend temperatures that brought the South West on to an even keel with some of its European counterparts and a week of good weather has led to strong visitor numbers for some of the region's top destinations.
Beach attractions, cafes and restaurants and campsites were among those to benefit the most from the good weather, with the owner of one North Devon attraction saying he hoped it would act as a "springboard" for the summer.
It is anticipated that over 400,000 people visited Devon and Cornwall over the Whitsun week, and tourism chiefs are hoping the good weather will encourage more to book for the summer.
The soaring temperatures provided a stark difference to the last 12 months, which brought with it record breaking spells of poor weather, including the coldest spring in 50 years.
Malcolm Bell, head of tourism at VisitCornwall, said the good weather has had an impact on both the tourist and local spend.
"It's almost brought the belief back again," he said. "After the wettest 12 months for 100 years, all we needed was a reasonable bit of luck on a half-term period.
"If you are a beach cafe or a shop it's been very important, it's a really good sign for them. I was up in London on Friday and it was the sort of sticky weather that makes you want to go to the coast."
Rick Turner, director of the Big Sheep, in North Devon, said that visitor numbers were up year 18% year-on-year.
He said: "I think this week will act as a springboard for the whole industry. Apart from the wet weather on Monday afternoon it was sunny from Sunday to Saturday. So many people are doom and gloom. We have had four of five years of not very good weather, we could have four of five of great weather."
Ron Lyne, who runs Henry's campsite on the Lizard, Cornwall, said: "It's been a big boost with the weather. We have been taking bookings not just for the week but for the summer. It's been an important week."
