Exmoor - Introduction
Unlike Dartmoor, which is contained within the bounds of one county, Exmoor at its full extent of 265sq. miles crosses over two counties; the greater part lying in North Somerset, about 72%, the remainder in Devon. One of Britain's smaller National Parks it was established in 1954 to preserve a unique and beautiful landscape, and although much of it remains in private ownership and continues to be farmed, visitors can, nevertheless, still enjoy considerable freedom to explore the Exmoor landscape, which is best discovered on foot or horseback. About 12000 acres of the moor are owned and conserved by the National Trust, including the park's most famous beauty spot at Watersmeet.
The boundaries of Exmoor have been altered many times since it became a Royal Park some 1000 years ago - today Exmoor National Park sweeps from Coombe Martin in Devon eastward to Dunster in Somerset. The entire area was leased from the Crown from 1508, while wardens upheld a forest law that dated from Norman times through to 1814. Throughout this period Exmoor remained almost undisturbed, even today the heart of the moor south and east of Simonsbath is little affected by modern life. In earlier days there were no roads across the moor and transport was undertaken by packhorse along centuries-old pathways, rivers were forded by packhorse bridges, examples of which still remain at Allerford and Dunster.
History is evident on all sides round the moor, especially seen in the charming medieval villages and churches secreted in valley hollows and sheltered coombes, the white or grey stone houses offering their weather-end westward against Atlantic squalls. Bronze Age burial mounds rear up when least expected as seen at Alderman's Barrow or Chapman's Barrow, while ancient earthworks at Cow Castle and Mounsey offer remains on a larger scale. The famous Tar Steps fording the River Barle is a perfect example of a clapper bridge, large flat stones placed atop a number of uprights; whether of prehistoric or medieval construction is still contentious, however, many centuries of English history have worn the bridge smooth. Few places in England are without some evidence of Rome's long occupation of Britannica and Exmoor is no exception - the mysterious Caractacus Stone, with its Latin inscription commemorating a Celtic Chieftain who fought bravely against the Romans, is thought to date from just after the occupation. Exmoor has no remains of the Neolithic period to rival Stonehenge, but partial stone circles and numerous standing stones are littered about.
Comparisons with Dartmoor are inevitable; the most obvious difference is in size, Exmoor being considerably smaller and more compact - in fact almost exactly 100 sq. miles smaller in size than its South Devon counterpart. Overall, Exmoor is less bleak, cosier in appearance and more intimate to the casual visitor than is its neighbour. Where Dartmoor may instil a feeling of unease with wild tales of the Baskerville hell-hound, Exmoor thrills to the romance of Lorna Doone - both fictional memories stamped indelibly upon their respective moorlands. This being said, Exmoor does harbour a few unsavoury spots. East of Challacombe Common is an eerie, pathless wilderness called The Chains, a dreary string of quaking, bottomless bogs every bit as sinister as those found on Dartmoor - few tread here but the ghosts of Bronze Age settlers, whose burial mounds punctuate the ground about.
To many visitors one of the greatest charms revealed by Exmoor National Park is the exquisite diversity and variety displayed overall, which has had an influence on the wildlife of the area. A fascinating and totally unspoilt coast with a distinctive grandeur of its own; deeply incised river valleys that may be marshy or tree covered, accompanied by rolling hills often spectacularly empty, and offering superb vantage points. The smooth hills of central Exmoor near Simonsbath are coated with blue moor grass or tawny deer sedge. Often the headwaters of the rivers run from peaty channels stained sulphurous yellow by the iron ore. In spring, the wooded valleys wear carpets of bluebells, while at all times of the year grey-green lichen clings contentedly to rock and tree. Along the coastal fringes and over the heather moors miniature forests of cotton grass, pink orchids and red lichen form bright pools of colour. Across this varied landscape the famous Exmoor ponies roam wild, albeit under the watchful eye of the Exmoor Pony Society, these ponies are believed to be directly descended from the prehistoric wild horse. More difficult to spot are the wild red deer, Britain's largest wild animal; they belong to the largest herd in England between 800 and 1000 in number. Smaller animals scurry everywhere including fox, rabbit, badger and grey squirrel, and a better reserve for bird life could not have been built - buzzards are a common sight overhead.
This is essentially a walker's paradise; they alone can reach Exmoor's highest point on Dunkery Beacon, or the chilling solitude of the Chain Barrows, or be constantly surprised by such as Culborne Church, at 12ft wide the smallest church in England, but entirely inaccessible by car. Largely unexploited, Exmoor remains a true beauty spot, the jewel in its crown being Dunster, a visual delight and laden with historical interest. Two local museums are to be recommended - the ‘Lyn and Exmoor' at Lynton and the ‘West Somerset Rural Life Museum' at Allerford.