The Walks
The Path To
Morte Point
Looking Out On
Dunkery Beacon
Countisbury Hill
Porlock Shoreline
A Chocolate Box Cottage
Selworthy
Ilfracombe Harbour
Blackchurch Rock
Brownsham Bay
Pathside Carvings On
The Tarka Trail
The Quantocks
Near Crowcombe
The Gatehouse
Wells Cathedral
Lundy Island
The Steamer Home
From Lundy
Approaching Hartland
Point
Tarr Steps
The Big Sheep
Cheddar Gorge
Dunster Castle
Glastonbury Abbey Ruins
Ilfracombe
Aquarium
Lundy Island
Lynton & Lynmouth
Cliff Railway
Selworthy Church
West Somerset Railway
Williton Station
Exford Youth Hostel
The Cedars Hotel
Barnstaple
Old English Inns
Sidcot Arms Hotel
Near Cheddar
Premier Inns
This
collection of walks comprises as diverse a range of terrain
types as you are likely to find anywhere in England; gentle riverside
strolls, dramatic cliff-tops, open moorland, high panoramic vistas - and
even a remote island to explore.
Our separate Devon & Dartmoor edition
offers a complementary selection of walks in the south of Devon.
The
most demanding routes in this Somerset & North Devon
edition, both physically and navigationally, are to be found in or near
the Exmoor National Park. Stretching from Dulverton in the south up to the
dramatic coastline between Porlock and Lynton, Exmoor offers an
astonishing variety of moods.
Dunkery Beacon, at 519 metres, is the highest point on Exmoor. You can make this
strenuous ascent on our walk which starts at the very heart of the
National Park near Exford. It is claimed that from the summit you can see
sixteen English and Welsh counties – on a clear day! Beyond the Bristol
Channel you may be able to see as far as the Gower Peninsula in the west
and along the Welsh coast to Cardiff and Newport. It is quite possible to
see as far as Pen y Fan, the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons.
Below
Dunkery Beacon, the National Nature Reserve at Horner Wood is an important
habitat for mosses, ferns and liverwort. The Site of Special Scientific
Interest boasts no fewer than 330 species of lichen, including some which
testify to this oak-wood being particularly ancient. It is also home to
Exmoor ponies and red deer. You may frequently encounter the ponies, but
the deer are much more elusive and shy of humans.
Close
by there is an opportunity to step back 3,000 years, with a walk which
traverses pre-historic Tarr Steps. The walk starts from Withypool. In
fact, humans are thought to have inhabited Exmoor since the end of the
last Ice-Age, some 8,000 years ago. As the climate gradually warmed the
population grew. By the Bronze-Age there is evidence of much activity in
the area. Even now, we can count at least 350 burial barrows within Exmoor
National Park.
Moving
west you soon arrive at the Exmoor village of Simonsbath.
We actually have two separate walks from here.
An ‘easier’ route takes in the Barle Valley and out to Cow
Castle, an Iron-Age hill fort. At the absolute opposite end at the
toughness scale our Pinkery Pond yomp crosses open moorland before
beginning a stiff ascent to the wild, and sometimes windy, Cheriton Ridge.
This particular route is one for experienced walkers with navigational
expertise, though there is a slightly shorter option which misses the high
ridge!
Exmoor
is bounded to the north only by the rugged coastline looking out on the
Bristol Channel. Nowhere is this section of the coast more dramatic than
our walk from Lynmouth, taking in Countisbury Hill and Foreland Point.
Whilst twentieth century defensive positions are clearly evident near the
start of the walk, the ramparts of another Iron-Age hill fort at Wind Hill
are trickier to find. But once there, it becomes apparent how extensive
these workings must have been. The earthworks are thought to be the site
of a great victory by King Odda’s Saxon army over Danish invaders in 878
AD.
Lynmouth
itself is a really charming little village which was developed as a minor
Victorian seaside resort. You could enjoy a ride on the water-powered
cliff railway, which can whisk you from sea level at Lynmouth up to Lynton
on the cliffs above. As well as a little fishing harbour there is a
multitude of tea rooms and smugglers’ inns to refresh you after your
strenuous walk.
Not
far away you can take our walk from Porlock, out to Hurlestone Point. At
Porlock Weir is a vast submarine forest. The remnants of these ancient
woods are still visible at low spring tides. The beach is also
particularly interesting for bird watchers, who may spot egrets, ospreys
or harriers.
Near
Porlock, just off the Minehead road, you’ll find the National Trust
village of Selworthy. With its lovely cottages and a very distinctive
white-rendered church, Selworthy is still a fully inhabited village,
whilst rigorously preserved by the National Trust. You can freely visit
the village, and maybe take a short but steep walk up to Selworthy Beacon
looking out high over the Bristol Channel.
Further west you’ll find the Heddons Mouth and Woody Bay route, a strenuous
coastal path which also takes in a spectacular waterfall. Walking down the
river valley you may well hear the sea crashing over rocks at Heddons
Mouth itself, together with sounds of gulls and kittiwakes.
Again
westward is the resort of Ilfracombe. Given the right tide, weather and
time of year you could use this traditional seaside town as the start for
one of our more unusual, but exhilarating, walks.
From this fishing harbour you could take the steamer way out into
the Bristol Channel to the isolated Lundy Island.
Landing at Marisco Bay you’ll have to keep to schedule to
undertake our Lundy walk, and still make it back for the steamer home.
Continuing
along the coast, now rounding Bull Point down to the tiny village of
Mortehoe, you can take one of our moderate but very bracing walks – out
to Morte Point. The bleak beauty of this gorse-covered promontory, now
owned by the National Trust, contrasts with the blue sea beyond. The point
was a terrible place for ship-wrecks in olden times. There were seldom
many survivors when ships grounded on the treacherous Morte Stone, which
is concealed just below the waves at high tide.
Down
past the surfers’ paradise at Woolacombe bay, we have a another rather
rugged coastal walk. This time you can go out to Baggy Point, maybe seeing
dolphins or seals, with Lundy Island perhaps visible way out to the west.
Now
inland a couple of miles to a walk which couldn’t be more different –
Braunton Burrows. This huge expanse of sand dunes betwixt the sea and the
River Taw is the total counterpoint to the rocky coastline just to the
north. Amidst the dunes
you’ll come upon a relic from the Second World War; the metal
‘American Road’, laid across the sands to replicate the condition
expected on the D-Day beaches.
Further
round the coast, going broadly southwest, we have a varied selection of
walks taking in Bideford Bay and Hartland Quay. The latter walk initially
clings to the west-facing coast, before reaching Hartland Point and then
heading inland over fields which must require great skill to eke out a
crop. Interestingly, Hartland hosts the British Geographical Society’s
radio-magnetic observatory, which collects seismic data from outstations.
It moved to Devon in the mid-twentieth century to escape growing
electrical interference in more heavily populated areas of southern
England.
But
Devon has even more to offer than spectacular coastal scenery. Inland you
come to our walk along the River Torridge – home to ‘Tarka the
Otter’. Henry Willamson’s fictional river dweller has probably done
more than most to bring to public attention the precarious existence of a
much threatened species. Williamson himself was a complex character who
spent much of his adult life working the land, and writing about his
observations. But in the 1930s he was an acquaintance and admirer of Adolf
Hitler. Henry Williamson spent his last years at Georgeham Cross, near
Barnstaple.
Now
go back into Somerset and the eastern extremity of Exmoor National Park.
Starting from the village of Monksilver, we have a strenuous walk into the
uplands of the Brendon Hills.
Directly
north from Monksilver you’ll come to the seaside town of Watchet.
From here you can take our route which first goes alongside the
West Somerset Railway, through charming inland villages, returning by the
coastal path on Blue Anchor Bay. If you have time, take a trip on the
wonderfully maintained steam railway which runs from Taunton to Minehead,
with several intermediate stations.
Nearby
are the Quantock Hills, stretching inland towards Bridgwater. The walk
from the pretty village of Crowcombe takes you up to the highest point in
the Quantocks. These hills comprise England’s very first designated Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty, an accolade which was awarded back in 1957.
A
rather less strenuous route from Holford can take you to Quantoxhead, with
spectacular views way out over Bridgwater Bay.
Our
walk out into the Somerset Levels, from Kinsbury Episcopi, is by far the
flattest walk in this collection. The levels are generally only a few
metres above sea level, and frequently flood in winter. This landscape of
rivers, canals and drainage channels is one of the lowest in England, and
is a huge contrast with the rocky coastal paths elsewhere in this county.
The Somerset Levels are an extremely important wetland habitat for wading
birds, otters and dragonflies.
Only
slightly more demanding than the Somerset Levels, the walk from Staple
Fitzpaine, just south of Taunton, has fine views of the Blackdown Hills
– without too much actual ascent. On this walk you will also pass Castle
Neroche, which was an important Royal hunting forest since Saxon times.
Wells
is England’s smallest city, and takes its name from the springs which
rise in the gardens of the Bishop’s Palace. The walk from
Wells goes northwest to the tip of the Mendip Hills, with superb
views out to Glastonbury Tor. The famous Wookey Hole cave system can be
visited as a short extension to our walk, or you could drive round for
post-walk refreshment. Cheddar Gorge is also just up the road, in the foot
of the Mendips.
The
most northerly walk in this collection ascends Burrington Combe, a rocky
steep-sided gorge which rivals Cheddar for dramatic beauty – without the
tourism!, The route also comprises Beacon Blatch, high up in the Mendip
Hills, and a Roman hill fort.
Not to mention the enchantingly named Velvet Bottom.
Our most unusual route includes a steamer voyage out to Lundy Island, way out in the
Bristol Channel. With careful timing you may be able to complete a circuit
of this craggy and remote outcrop before returning to Ilfracombe,
depending upon tide times on the day.
From the Mendips down to Hartland near
the Cornwall border there is much for the walker to enjoy in Somerset and
North Devon.
CONTRIBUTORS
Somerset & North Devon walks, pictures and
background info have been compiled by:
Ruth Luckhurst, Joanna Heathorn and Eric Joyce
SOMERSET & NORTH DEVON
- THE WALKS
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BAGGY POINT
A
fairly demanding coastal walk, maybe sighting seals or dolphins
6.6
miles or 8.5 miles (10.5 km or 13.5 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
THE BRENDON HILLS FROM MONKSILVER
A
strenuous route in the Brendon Hills, farmland and woods
8.6
miles (13,6 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
BRAUNTON BURROWS
An
easier riverside and beach walk
8.2
miles (13.0 km)
Toughness Rating : 1
BURRINGTON COMBE AND VELVET BOTTOM
A
steep climb followed by a moorland walk up to Beacon Batch
9.4
miles (15.0 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
BUTLEIGH AND COMPTON DUNTON
A moderate walk through undulating countryside above the Somerset Levela
9.7 miles or 6.3 miles (15.5 km or 10.0 km)
Toughness Rating: 2
Walk
from the legendary castle through farmland up to two ridges
8.5
miles (13.6 km)
Toughness Rating : 2
A moderately undulating walk through the countryside of eastern Somerset
9.1 miles or 6.9 miles (14.5 km or 11.0 km)
Toughness Rating: 1
CHARLES
& HIGH BRAY
A
fairly strenuous walk on part of The Tarka Trail
11.0
miles or 5.0 miles (17.6 km or 8.0 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
CODDEN HILL & THE TARKA TRAIL
A
moderate walk ascending Codden Hill, affording panoramic views
6.3
miles (10.0 km)
Toughness Rating : 2
COW CASTLE & THE BARLE VALLEY
An easier walk from
Simonsbath, along the River Barle on the edge of Exmoor
6.9
miles (11.0 km)
Toughness
Rating : 2
THE ASCENT OF CROOK PEAK
A steep climb to Wavering Down and Crook Peak, plus a riverside stroll
7.2 miles (11.4 km)
Toughness Rating: 3
EXMOOR & DUNKERY BEACON
A
strenuous walk over the moors, maybe seeing deer and Exmoor ponies
10.3
miles or 8.4 miles ( 16.5 km or 13.5 km)
Toughness
Rating : 4
HARTLAND QUAY & THE SOUTH WEST COASTPATH
A
challenging but rewarding walk along the most spectacular section of the
long distance footpath
7.1
miles or 9.9 miles (11.3 km or 15.8 km)
Toughness Rating : 4
HEDDONS MOUTH & WOODY BAY
A
fairly strenuous coastal path plus a breathtaking waterfall
5.4
miles or 7.5 miles (10.3 km or 12.1 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
LUNDY ISLAND
Take
a steamer for a unique walk on this remote island
9.1
miles or 4.5 miles (14.5 km or 7.2 km)
Toughness
Rating: 3
LYNMOUTH, COUNTISBURY & FORELAND POINT
A
very strenuous walk on a hill which thinks it’s a mountain
9.3
miles or 6.0 miles (14.9 km or 9.6 km)
Toughness Rating : 4
MONTACUTE & HAM HILL
A
sometimes demanding route to an Iron-Age hill fort
8.8 miles or 6.6 miles (14.0 km or 10.5 km)
Toughness Rating: 3
MORTEHOE
& MORTE POINT
A
rugged coastal walk to Bull Point light and round to Morte Point
6.3
miles (10.0 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
NUNNEY & MELLS STREAM GORGE
An easier walk along a wooded gorge and farming country near Frome
7.8 miles (12.4 km)
Toughness
Rating: 1
PEPPERCOMBE & WORTHYGATE
A
strenuous walk with some steep ascent, and superb coastal views
5.2
miles or 5.8 miles (8.3 km or 9.3 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
PINKERY POND YOMP
A
very demanding walk for experienced and adventurous trekkers
12.8
miles or 11.0 miles (20.5 km
or 17.6 km)
Toughness Rating : 4
PORLOCK AND HURLSTONE POINT
An
invigorating walk by the coast but with a strenuous optional extension
6.5
miles or 8.7 miles (10.4 km or 13.9 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
PRE-HISTORIC TARR STEPS
Walk
the way of our ancestors to pre-historic Tarr Steps
8.8
miles or 9.3 miles (14.0 km or 14.8 km)
Toughness
Rating : 2
THE QUANTOCK HILLS FROM CROWCOMBE
A
strenuous route to the highest point in the Quantocks range
9.1
miles or 6.9 miles (14.5 km or 11.0 km)
Toughness Rating : 4
QUANTOXHEAD FROM HOLFORD
A
moderate walk with extensive views, exploring woods and heathland
Toughness Rating: 2
SELWORTHY BEACON & NATIONAL TRUST
VILLAGE
A
short and fairly easy ascent of Selworthy Beacon, with stunning views
5.1
miles (8.2 km)
Toughness Rating: 1
THE SOMERSET LEVELS FROM KINGSBURY EPISCOPI
An
almost 'level' walk with little ascent, and two charming villages
Toughness Rating : 1
STAPLE FITZPAINE & CASTLE NEROCHE
A
gentle walk through farming land, with fine views of the Blackdown Hills
8.9
miles (14,3 km)
Toughness Rating : 1
TARKA THE OTTER’S RIVER TORRIDGE
A
gentle walk along the banks of the Torridge, once the home of Tarka the
Otter
10.3
miles (16.6 km)
Toughness
Rating : 2
WATCHET AND BLUE ANCHOR BAY
A
lovely coastal and inland route between Exmoor and the sea
7.2
miles (11.5 km)
Toughness
Rating : 2
WELLS
AND WOOKEY HOLE
A
moderate walk from Wells to the edge of the Mendips, with an extension to
Wookey Hole
7.6
miles or 9.2 miles (12.0 km or 14.5 km)
Toughness Rating : 3
|
Most
of our Somerset & North Devon routes can be undertaken by reasonably
fit walkers able to utilise the map segments and our recommended
Ordnance Survey maps, together with the route guidance notes.
|
Directory
of Local Information Sources
WHAT
TO SEE
or visit on or near the walks
Arlington Court
National
Trust Property
Arlington,
Near Barnstaple
01271
850296
Regency
house, an extensive estate, with an impressive collection of horse-drawn
vehicles
The
Big Sheep
Theme
Park
Abbotsham,
Near Bideford
01237
472366
Sheep
(feeding lambs, shearing sheep, sheep races); also horse whispering and
dog trials
www.thebigsheep.co.uk
Bradworthy
Transport Museum
Cars
and Other Vehicles
Bradworthy
01409
241597
Transport
museum, memorabilia and café
Braunton
Museum
Rural
Museum
The
Bakehouse Centre, Caen Street, Braunton
01271
816688
A
small but fascintating display of Braunton’s agricultural and maritime
history, as well as its role in World War ll
Broomhill,
Muddiford, Barnstaple
01271
850262
A
sculpture trail through wooded valley, surrounded by hundreds of acres of
beautiful grounds
Near
Cheddar
Marvel
at this steep-sided coombe - and the multiplicity of tea shops!
Cleeve
Abbey
Abbey
Ruins
Washford, Near Watchet
01984
640377
Visit this fascinating historical site
Lymebridge,
Hartland
01237
441369
Saxon
mill with plant sales and tea rooms
Dunster
Castle
National
Trust Property
Dunster,
Near Minehead
01643
821314
A
thousand years of history
www.nationaltrust.co.uk
Allerford,
Near Porlock
01643
862816
See
birds of prey in action
www.exmoorfalconry.co.uk
Glastonbury
Abbey
Ruined
Abbey
Glastonbury
01458
832267
An
abbey steeped in two thousand years of Christian history and legend
www.glastonburyabbey.com
Hartland,
Mear Bideford
01237
441264/441234
12th
Century historic house in beautiful gardens. Lunches and cream teas, gift
shop, plant stall
Ilfracombe
Aquarium
Aquarium
The
old Lifeboat House, The Pier, Ilfracombe
01271
864533
A
fascinating collection of creatures from the deep
National
Trust Operated Island
The
Bristol Channel
01271
863636
Take
a steamer from Ilfracombe to this remote island
see our Lundy Island walk
www.lundyisland.co.uk
Lynton
and Lynmouth
01598
753486
Experience
this fantastic feat of Victorian engineering
Preseved
Working Village
Selworthy, Near Minehead
See
lovelly cottages, gardens and a very distinctive church
Somerset
Cider Brandy Distillery
Cider
Distillery and Shop
Pass
Vale Farm, Burrow Hill
01460
240782
Visitors
welcome to view the distillery. Orchard trail.
Wells Cathedral
Magnificent Cathedral
Tor Street, Wells
01749 674483
West
Somerset Railway
Steam
Railway
Minehead
01643
704996
Enjoy
the sensation of a steam railway in the heart of Somerset countryside
www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk
Wookey
Hole
Spectacular
Cave System
Wookey
Hole, Near Wells
01749
672243
Tours
and exhibitions for all the family
www.wookey.co.uk
GETTING HELP
Free
local guide brochures available by post.
Information
and an accommodation booking service
is
available at the centres listed below, or online at:
North
Devon & Exmoor Tourism
Brochure Line: 01271 336070
www.northdevon.com
Barnstaple Tourist Information Centre
The
Square, Barnstaple
Tel:
01271 374037
www.staynorthdevon.co.uk
Cheddar
Tourist Information Centre
The
Gorge, Cheddar
Tel:
01934 744071
Tel:
01237 431781
www.clovelly.co.uk
Exmoor
National Park Centre
7-9
Fore Street, Dulverton
Tel:
01398 323841
www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
Paul
Street, Taunton
Tel: 01823 336344
www.heartofsomerset.com
The
Landmark, Seafront, Ilfracombe
Tel:
01271 863001
www.visitilfracombe.co.uk
The
Town Hall, Lynton
Tel:
01598 752225
www.lyntourism.co.uk
The
Square, Wiveliscombe
Tel:
01984 623777
Wellington
Tourist Information Centre
30
Fore Street, Wellington
Tel: 01823 663379
Market
Place, Wells
Tel:
01749 672552
www.wells.gov.uk
Woolacombe
Tourism
Brochure Line: 01271 870553
www.woolacombetourism.co.uk
National
Organisations
Representing walkers throughout Britain
Tel: 020 7339 8500
www.Ramblers.org.uk
English Heritage
Preserving
and maintaining our heritage in England
www.English-Heritage.org.uk
Properties described on
their web
site
Tel: 0870 458 4000
www.NationalTrust.org.uk
WHERE TO STAY
Heart
of Somerset Tourism
Accommodation booking service
Paul Street, Taunton
Tel: 01823 336344
www.heartofsomerset.com
Other Organisations
Youth Hostels Association
the U.K. are described on their web site.
Directory available free to members
Tel: 0870 770 8868
www.yha.org.uk
Camping & Caravanning Club
Details of 1400 camp sites on the web site
Tel: 0845 130 7632
Town
& Country Hotels
FREE directories and web sites for regional and national hotel groups or franchises:
Best Western Hotels
Tel: 0845 33 00 415
www.BestWestern.co.uk
Corus Hotels
Country & town centre hotels throughout Britain
Tel: 0845 300 2000
The Independents
Consortium of 2 & 3 star hotels throughout Britain
Tel: 0800 88 55 44
www.TheIndependents.co.uk
Marston Hotels
Independent four star hotels throughout England
Tel: 0845 1300 700
Old English Inns
Classic Inns across England
Tel: 0800 917 3085
Premier Travel Inn
470 budget hotels across the U.K.
Tel: 0870 242 8000
Travelodge
Budget accommodation across the U.K.
Tel: 08700 850 950
Welcome Break
Budget accommodation at motorway services
Essential
Contributors
Safe & Courteous
Walking Our Routes
Toughness
Ratings
Local Info
Getting
Help
What To See
Where To Stay
Best Links
Weather
To Walk
Ramblers Association
English Heritage
The National Trust
Camping
and
Caravanning Club
Youth
Hostels
Great Walks text and pictures are the copyright of Synchra Communication Ltd 2009
Mapping is the copyright of
Synchra Communication Ltd 2009
Developed under License from The Ordnance Survey