# Exmoor National Park

Exmoor National Park] is situated in the south west of the United Kingdom. It spreads across the north coast of Devon and west Somerset and was one of Britain's first national parks.

## Understand

For many R.D. Blackmore's novel, Lorna Doone, set about Brendon in Devon and Oare in Somerset provides an extra appeal for the park,- as do associations with the poet, Coleridge.

### History

Exmoor earned National Park status in 1954 and is named after its main river, the River Exe, whose source is near Simonsbath, Somerset.

### Landscape

Most of the 267 square miles (693 km²) of Exmoor is open heath and moorland. The highest point on Exmoor is Dunkery Beacon, at 1704 ft (519 m), also the highest point in Somerset.
Exmoor has 34 miles (55 km) of dramatic coastline including the highest sea cliffs in England. The South West Coast Path passes along these cliffs and was voted Britain's favourite trail in 2006.

### Flora and fauna

Some moors are covered by a variety of grasses and sedges, while others are dominated by heather. Land is mainly used for livestock, although there are some areas which are cultivated such as the Brendon Hills.
Sheep have grazed on the moors for more than 3000 years and traditional breeds include Exmoor Horn, Cheviot and Whiteface Dartmoor and Greyface Dartmoor sheep. Devon red cattle are also farmed in the area.
Exmoor ponies can be seen roaming freely on the moors. They are a race rather than a breed of pony, and are the closest breed remaining in Europe to Wild Horses. The ponies are rounded up once a year to be marked and checked over.
Red deer have a stronghold on the moor and can be seen on quiet hillsides in remote areas, particularly in the early morning.
The famous Beast of Exmoor is reputed to haunt the moor, with many sightings since the 1960s. It is possibly a cougar or black leopard which was released sometime in the 1960s or 1970s after a law passed making it illegal for them to be kept in captivity outside zoos. It has been blamed for many sheep kills over the years.
The moorland habitat is also home to hundreds of species of birds and insects. Birds seen on the moor include Merlin, Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Curlew, European Stonechat, Dipper, Dartford Warbler and Ring Ouzel.

### Visitor information

* Visit Exmoor
* Exmoor National Park

## Get in
### By train

The closest stations are Tiverton Parkway, Taunton and Barnstaple.

### By bus

Buses to the edges of the national park are plentiful. There are regular buses from Taunton to Dulverton, the 25B, and Minehead, the 28. From Barnstaple there are regular buses to Lynton & Lymouth.

## Villages

Villages below are in the county of Somerset unless otherwise stated.
* 51.22007-3.764271 Brendon (Devon). In 'Lorna Doone' country.
* 51.20001-4.025392 Combe Martin (Devon). A long village with a beach.
* 51.04014-3.550163 Dulverton. A large and attractive village on the River Barle. Often called the "gateway to Exmoor. It is filled with old fashioned cottages with some modern housing on the outskirts of the village.
* 51.1825-3.44594 Dunster. It retains a central yarn market building and has a castle above the village.
* 51.230396-3.8363615 Lynton and Lynmouth (Devon). Hillside and coastal villages with a funicular between them.
* 51.2127-3.71636 Oare. The centre of 'Lorna Doone' country, where Carver Doone shot Lorna in the church on her wedding day with John Ridd.
* 51.209-3.5957 Porlock. A large village with picturesque houses.
* 51.219-3.6288 Porlock Weir. A delightful coastal village and the start of a superb 5-mile cliff walk to Culbone Church
* 51.2104-3.55129 Selworthy. Tiny but one of the most striking. Thatched cottages around the green, a fine church and great views from Selworthy Beacon.
* 51.1389-3.755810 Simonsbath. A small village.
* 51.1028-3.563111 Winsford. A fine inland village, where a small tributary joins the River Exe with a thatched pub and numerous bridges.

## See

The Valley of Rocks. A short walk from Lynton either via high up along the coast path or inland. Well known for its dramatic geology, coastline and herds of wild goats.

### Other beauty spots

* 51.161969-3.5873611 Dunkery Beacon. (updated Jan 2022)
* 51.18604-3.728542 Doone Valley. (updated Jan 2022)
* 51.077148-3.6176613 Tarr Steps. A clapper bridge on the Barle near Dulverton. (updated Jan 2022)
* 51.233-3.8534 Valley of Rocks (Devon). A spectacular clifftop road from Lynton, not a valley in the normal sense. (updated Jan 2022)
* 51.22316-3.800215 Watersmeet (Devon), Watersmeet House, Watersmeet Rd, Lynmouth EX35 6NT (on the A39), ☏ +44 1598 753348. Where the East and West Lyn meet. (updated Jan 2022)

## Do

Walk - Exmoor is a great area for walking. . To get great enjoyment from this no particular fitness level is required, although there is plenty to satisfy long distance walkers too (like the Two Moors Way).
Drive the A39. the magnificent drivers' road from Minehead through Lynmouth with bends, hills and views of the Bristol Channel.

## Eat

Plenty of Somerset produced local food and drink, boxes of fudge and clotted cream are always popular.

## Drink

* 51.21931-3.76631 The Staghunters Inn, Brendon, Lynton, EX35 6PS, ☏ +44 1598 741222, tay@staghunters.com. noon-11PM. (updated Jan 2022)

## Sleep

* $^{[deadlink]}$ Coleridge Way Holiday Cottages, Windwhistle Farm, Treborough, ☏ +44 1984 640582, info@coleridgewaycottages.co.uk. (updated Feb 2015)

### Lodging

* 51.21908-3.923881 Heddon's Gate Hotel (A tranquil country house hotel set on the steep slopes of the wooded Heddon Valley), Martinhoe, Parracombe, EX31 4PZ, ☏ +44 1598 763481, hotel@heddonsgate.co.uk. Half-board £75-101 pppn.

### Camping

* 51.20675-3.727232 Cloud Farm Campsite, Hookway Hill, Oare, Lynton EX35 6NU (entrance track west of The Buttery and ford), ☏ +44 1598 741190. A National Trust-run campsite next in the small Badgworthy Water Valley, with excellent showers and outdoor table tennis. (updated Apr 2022)

## Go next

* Minehead to the east
* Ilfracombe to the west