Exmoor: Watersmeet
 Abbeys |
The two waters, Badgworthy and Oare, merge to became the East Lyn River, which gouges out one of Exmoor's most enthralling scenes where the East Lyn combines with the Hoaroak Water at Watersmeet, a renowned beauty spot now in the care of the National Trust. Once at Watersmeet, the network of riverside paths expands to give walkers plenty of choice; the on site National Trust Information Centre cum tea-room, an 1830's fishing lodge, provides maps of the immediate area, highlighting the many walks radiating up and down the rivers and hillsides.
Where the two rivers merge they form a series of pools with water tumbling from one to another over the rocks - occasional salmon may be spotted leaping amid the waterfalls and rapids. The steep sides of the valley are heavily wooded with beech and larch, but most especially with heavy sessile oak trees leaning sensually over the weaving currents below; the woods sit in a lush undergrowth of ferns, mosses and an abundance of wild flowers.
Views from the top of these valley sides are quite breathtaking, particularly those offering a panoramic view of the entire river system. It is difficult to believe when moving through this idyllic leafy setting that it was once a hive of noisy activity, incorporating an iron mine, charcoal burners and a hydro-electric power plant. The power station was one of the first of its kind in Britain and supplied the nearby towns of Lynton and Lynmouth from 1890 until swept away in the devastating flood of 1952.
Very near Watersmeet is the remarkable and ancient Valley of Rocks, a short dry coombe running far a mile and a half parallel to the coastline, probably formed during the Ice Age. Jagged rock outcrops, grey and gnarled, thrust skyward through the green bracken-thick margins. Bizarrely shaped, these strange formations have been graced with such fanciful names as Ragged Jack, the Devil's Chessewring and Chimney Rock. Wild goats freely graze the slopes of these spectacular pinnacles, but are found nowhere else on Exmoor. The most prominent outcrop is Castle Rock, which provides the grandest view but has a heart-stopping 88ft drop on its seaward side - one of Britain's highest sea cliffs. This ragged landscape, open to the elements, was home to Aggie Norman in the 19 th century, a mad woman whom R D Blackmore is thought to have based his character Mother Meldrum upon in his novel ‘Lorna Doone'. The Valley of Rocks, where nature lies raw and exposed, is an evocative and romantic setting, said to have made a strong impression upon the poets Shelley, Coleridge and Wordsworth.
Lying a little to the west of Watersmeet is Parracombe old church, an outstanding example of an unrestored medieval church, unaltered in any way since its construction in the late 18 th century. When, in the 19 th century, a new church was built nearer the village it was proposed that the old one be demolished, but such was the outcry against this wanton destruction, spearheaded by John Ruskin in 1879, that the old church was spared. To enter Parracombe old church is to step back in time over 200 years. The interior wonderfully evokes a country church of pre-Victorian England when village life revolved around the parish church. There are rough hewn box pews, worn with age and raised-up toward the rear to provide a musicians gallery; hat and coat pegs remain proudly in place on the wall; the pulpit has a sounding-board suspended overhead - with a humble screen behind, rude plaster walls around and an uneven flagstoned floor beneath, this is living history gloriously preserved beneath an ancient roof.