Exmoor

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Exmoor_Pony :: Exmoor

Exmoor National Park is a national park situated on the Bristol Channel coast of Devon and Somerset in South West England. The park is 693 km² (267 mile²) of hilly open moorland. Exmoor is one of the first British National Parks, designated in 1954, and is named after its main river, the River Exe. Several areas of the moor have been declared a Site of Special Scientific interest.

Landscape

Uncultivated heath and moorland cover about a quarter of Exmoor landscape. Some moors are covered by a variety of grasses and sedges, while others are dominated by heather. The moors are supported by wet, acid soil above a mixture of rock types including sandstone, slate, shale and limestone, mostly laid in Devonian. The highest point on Exmoor is Dunkery Beacon, at 519 m (1704 ft), also the highest point in Somerset. The Chains and surrounding high ground is the source for many rivers, which flow through steep wooded valleys called combes.

Although Exmoor is usually associated with moorland, there are also cultivated areas including the Brendon Hills, which lie in the east of the national park. There are also 84 km² of woodland, comprising a mixture of broad-leaved (oak, ash and hazel) and conifer trees. Horner Woodlands and Tarr Steps woodlands are prime examples. These woodlands are home to hundreds of lichens, mosses and ferns.

The park was featured on the TV programme Seven Natural Wonders twice as one of the wonders of the West Country.

Coastline

Exmoor has 55 km (34 miles) of coastline to the north, which is some of the highest coastline on the British mainland. The highest cliff is Great Hangman, at 244 m (800 ft). The dramatic scenery of rocky headlands, ravines, waterfalls and towering cliffs gained the Exmoor coast recognition as a Heritage Coast in 1991.

Exmoor is unique for its coastal woodlands, including 16 km (10 miles) of cliff between Porlock and Countisbury where the trees spread right down to the beach in places. The South West Coast Path, at 1052km (630 miles) the longest National Trail in England and Wales, starts at Minehead and runs along all of Exmoor's coast. Small harbours can be found at Lynmouth, Porlock Weir and Combe Martin. Once important for coastal trade, their primary use now is for pleasure sailing and fishing.

Rivers

There can be up to 2000 mm (80 inches) of rainfall per year on the higher ground, thanks to clouds formed by warm damp air from the Atlantic Ocean. The high ground forms the catchment area for numerous rivers and streams. There are about 483 km (300 miles) of rivers on Exmoor.

Rivers in Exmoor include the Exe, Avill, Barle, Bray, Heddon, East Lyn and West Lyn.

Wildlife

Sheep have grazed on the moors for more than 3000 years, shaping much of the Exmoor landscape by feeding on moorland grasses and heather. Traditional breeds include Exmoor Horn, Cheviot and Whiteface Dartmoor and Greyface Dartmoor sheep. Devon red cattle are also farmed in the area.

Exmoor ponies can be seen roaming freely on the moors. They are a race rather than a breed of pony, and are the closest breed remaining in Europe to Wild Horses. which are rounded up once a year to be marked and checked over. They roam freely over the moors.

Red deer have a stronghold on the moor and can be seen on quiet hillsides in remote areas, particularly in early morning.

The famous Beast of Exmoor is reputed to haunt the moor, with many sightings since the 1960s. It is apparently a Puma or Black Leopard which was released sometime in the 1960s or 1970s after a law passed making it illegal for them to be kept in captivity outside zoos. It has been blamed for many sheep kills over the years.

The moorland habitat is also home to hundreds of species of birds and insects. Birds seen on the moor include Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Curlew, European Stonechat, Dipper, Dartford Warbler and Ring Ouzel. Black Grouse and Red Grouse are now extinct on Exmoor.

Places of interest

Lynmouth, where the East and West Lyn rivers meet, is particularly connected to the 1952 flooding disaster. The cliff railway connects Lynmouth to neighbouring Lynton.

Porlock is a quiet coastal town with adjacent salt marsh nature reserve.

Dunster Castle can be found in Dunster, which also boasts a priory, dovecote, yarn market, inn, packhorse bridge and mill. The West Somerset Railway also stops here.

Tarr Steps has an ancient clapper bridge constructed from large unmortared slabs of stone.

Woody Bay, just a few miles West of Lynton, is home to the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, a narrow gauge railway which connected the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth to Barnstaple, some 20 miles away.

Snowdrop Valley is a picture with a sea of snowdrops in February. The bluebell display that follows is worth visiting

External links

National parks of England and Wales | Hills of Somerset | Environment of Somerset | Hills of Devon | Exmoor

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