Exeter is a stunning city and is the regional capital of the South West and gateway to the regions magnificent coast and country ensuring its place as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the UK. A confident, exciting city, Exeter welcomes visitors all year round to share its captivating 2000 year history.. Exeter was established as the most westerly Roman outpost in around AD50. Parts of the roman walls still stand. When it was captured by the Normans in 1068 Exeter was one of England's largest towns. The ruins of the castle built by William the Conqueror from distinctive local sand stone now form part of the Rougemont ('red hill') Gardens. During the Tudor period, the cloth trade passing through its port helped Exeter to flourish.. The Exeter to Topsham canal is the oldest canal in England and ships sailed the canal until in 1290 the Countess of Devon built a weir across the river to spite the citizens. Today Exeter is a thriving county town with its modern arcades and its specialist shops hidden within the cobbled streets of the city centre.. The magnificent Cathedral of St Peter is Exeter's jewel in the crown with the longest Gothic ceiling in the world and the Astronomical Clock thought to be the inspiration for the nursery rhyme "Hickory Dickory Dock Other things to see and do in Exeter include the displays of fine art in Exeter's Museums while beneath the city's High Street lie a labyrinth of medieval waterways. Around Exeter are Bicton Park & Gardens at East Budleigh and Crealy Park at Clyst St Mary.