Exmoor

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Dunster Yarn Market (a covered market for the sale of local cloth, built in 1609) and Dunster Castle, 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.

1 Landscape
2 Coastline
3 Rivers
4 Wildlife
5 Places of interest
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Landscape

Exmoor in winter

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 the Devonian period. 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 rivers, which flow through steep wooded valleys called combes.

Exmoor has a dramatic coastline including the highest sea cliffs in England. The South West Coastal path passes through these cliffs and was voted Britains favourite path 2006.

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 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.

[edit] Coastline

Exmoor has 55 km (34 miles) of coastline to the north, 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. The Exmoor Coastal Heaths have been recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the diversity of species present. This dramatic coastline is an adventure playground for climbers and explorers with huge waterfalls and caves. The cliffs provide one of the longest and most isolated seacliff traverses in the UK. The Exmoor Coast Traverse

Exmoor is special 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.

[edit] Rivers

There can be up to 2000 mm (80 inches) of rainfall per year on the higher ground, due 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 on Exmoor include the Exe, Avill, Barle, Bray, Heddon, East Lyn, Horner and West Lyn.

[edit] 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.

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 possibly a Cougar 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.

[edit] Places of interest

Lynmouth, where the East and West Lyn rivers meet, was the site of the 1952 flooding disaster. The cliff railway connects Lynmouth to neighbouring Lynton.

Porlock is a quiet coastal town with adjacent salt marsh nature reserve and harbour at nearby Porlock Weir.

Dunster Castle can be found in Dunster. The town has a priory, dovecote, yarn market, inn, packhorse bridge and mill. The West Somerset Railway has a stop here.

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

Woody Bay, 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 has a sea of snowdrops in February and, later, a bluebell display.

Withypool is a picturesque village in the Barle Valley (Exmoor's largest river). It is situated in the heart of Exmoor National park and was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The Two Moors Way passes through the village. The bridge over the river and the Royal Oak public house (17th century), where General Eisenhower planned some of the D-Day landings, are other places of interest.