Exmoor

Exmoor National Park spans across West Somerset and North Devon with a picturesque coastline. The park is largely made up of moorland with wooded valleys and the coastline is made up with some of the highest cliffs in Great Britain making Exmoor one of the nicest places for walking in the UK. The highest point of Exmoor is Dunkery Beacon which offers some fantastic views of the beautiful setting.

Exmoor is one of the smallest national parks in the country at just 267 square miles but contains some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK. The nearest towns and cities to the national park are Exeter in Devon and Taunton in Somerset. The park provides leisure activities and employment for about 10,000 people in the surrounding areas.

Although the park is relatively small it contains a wide variety of different landscapes including remote moorlands, the tallest cliffs in the UK situated above the Bristol Channel. Here you will see a wide variety of different features including rocky headlands, waterfalls, heaps of fallen rock and wooded ravines that make this a stunning place to go walking.

The inland areas of the national park are made up of vast heather clad grass moorland, rising to 900ft above sea level. The highest location in the park is Dunkery Beacon with is 1704 ft above sea level. Dunkery Beacon is one of the most popular spots in the park for walkers because of the stunning panoramic views. The only downside to this like all highlands near the coastline is the amount of rainfall with about 80inches per year. As a result there are a large amount of rivers and streams situated in the park the largest being the River Exe (hence the name Exmoor). These have in turn created steep wooded valleys and fast flowing streams making the park a unique, interesting and challenging place to walk.

Within the park are the Brendon Hills which are heavily wooded in the north but more grass and moorland in the south adding a contrast of different terrains for hikers depending on how challenging your want your hike to be! The south western area of the Brendon hills is where most agricultural activity take place within the park.

The Exmoor National Park also boasts a number of archaeological site and monuments to be explore on your walks

The wide variety of different terrains and landscapes that the Exmoor National Park has to offer is ideally suited to walkers/hikers of all different levels. There really is something for everyone here. There are about 600 miles of Footpaths, bridle ways to explore.

Before you venture out to the Exmoor National Park it is important to remember that the correct footwear and equipment is essential to get the most enjoyment out of your experience. Here at Newforestfootwear.com we stock a wide range of quality hiking footwear for a reasonable price to suit all needs

Back to the resources page