• England Guide

  • Introduction to England
  • Weather
  • Things not to miss
  • Getting around
  • Entry requirements
  • Money
  • Public holidays

• Explore England

  • Kent and Sussex
  • Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
  • Oxfordshire, the Chilterns and the Cotswolds
  • Bristol, Bath and Somerset
  • Devon and Cornwall
  • East Anglia
  • The West Midlands and the Peak District
  • The East Midlands
  • The Northwest
  • Cumbria and the Lakes
  • Yorkshire
  • The Northeast

• Cities

  • Bath
    
  • Birmingham
    
  • Bradford
    
  • Brighton
    
  • Bristol
    
  • Cambridge
    
  • Canterbury
    
  • Carlisle
    
  • Chester
    
  • Chichester
    
  • Durham
    
  • Ely
    
  • Exeter
    
  • Hereford
    
  • Lancaster
    
  • Leeds
    
  • Lincoln
    
  • Liverpool
    
  • London
    
  • Manchester
    
  • Newcastle upon Tyne
    
  • Norwich
    
  • Nottingham
    
  • Oxford
    
  • Portsmouth
    
  • Salisbury
    
  • Sheffield
    
  • Wells
    
  • Winchester
    
  • York
    

England Guide

Devon and Cornwall

Exmoor

A high bare plateau sliced by wooded combes and splashing streams, EXMOOR can be one of the most forbidding landscapes in England, especially when shrouded in a sea mist. When it's clear, though, the moorland of this National Park reveals an amazing diversity of wildlife, from buzzards to the unique Exmoor ponies, a species closely related to prehistoric horses. In the treeless heartland of the moor in particular, it's not difficult to spot these short and stocky animals, though only about two hundred are free-living on the moor. Much more elusive are the red deer, England's largest native wild animal, of which Exmoor supports the country's only wild population, currently around two and half thousand.

Endless walking routes are possible along a network of some six hundred miles of footpaths and bridleways, and horseback riding is another option for getting the most out of Exmoor's desolate beauty. Check the website www.activeexmoor.com for organized activity operators on Exmoor. Exmoor's coastline offers an alluring alternative to the open moorland, all of it accessible via the South West Coast Path, which embarks on its long coastal journey at Minehead.

Inland, there are four obvious bases for walks, all on the Somerset side of the county border. Dulverton, in the southeast, has the main national park information facilities ( 01398/323841, www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk ) plus attractive accommodation at Town Mills ( 01398/323124, www.townmillsdulverton.co.uk ; Price: ₤61-70. Simonsbath, within Exmoor Forest, the barest part of the moor, has the Exmoor Forest Inn ( 01643/831341, www.exmoorforestinn.co.uk ; Price: ₤71-90), and the elegant Simonsbath House Hotel ( 01643/831259, www.simonsbathhouse.co.uk ; Price: ₤91-110. At Exford, near Exmoor's highest point of Dunkery Beacon, there's B&B at Exmoor Lodge ( 01643/831694, www.smoothhound.co.uk ; Price: ₤51-60), and Exmoor's main YHA hostel ( 0845/371 9634, www.yha.org.uk ; from £13). In the attractive village of Winsford, close to the A396 on the east of the moor, the thatched and rambling old Royal Oak has plush accommodation ( 01643/851455, www.royaloak-somerset.co.uk ; Price: ₤91–150) and Karslake House ( 01643/851242, www.karslakehouse.co.uk ; Price: ₤71-90) offers excellent B&B and evening meals (not Sun or Mon).