Surrounding Area:
Offering places to visit in beautiful Exmoor including moorland, hidden villages and ancient woodlands and coast paths
Livery and hire of horses available locally.
Bury
SS9 429
Bury lies on the Eastern edge of Exmoor, and is a pretty quiet hamlet which used to be at the heart of Pixton, a sporting estate brought as a dowry to the Earl of Carnarvon by Lady Harriet Acland in the eighteenth century. It is characterised by its traditional stone cottages, the ancient bridge which spans a ford and access to the Haddeo Woodlands. It is just south of Wimbleball Lake, which offers sailing and reservoir trout fishing. Dulverton is 2 miles away and the medieval village of Dunster is 15 miles away.
Haddeo Valley
Photo © Copyright Philip Halling
Dulverton
Dulverton, which stands between the Rivers Barle and Exe, is a short distance from Bury and offers good restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops with local produce. (Please see the link page) It has a post office, bank, chemist and several gift and antique shops. Dulverton is the seat of the Exmoor National Park and there is a visitor centre in the main square. It provides access to other parts of Exmoor including Winsford Hill, which is just a few miles to the north, Molland Moor, Tarr Steps and the wild moorland above Doone Valley described in the novel of R D Blackmore.
Dulverton Bridge
Dulverton
Tarr Steps, a prehistoric clapper bridge
Dunkery Beacon and Horner Woods
Dunkery Beacon, not only the highest point of Exmoor, but at 1705 ft (519m) the highest summit in Somerset. It is only 30 minutes distance by car, and is en route to the coastal paths and Porlock. The hill is gently rounded and provides excellent walking and extensive view, including the Channel coasts, the Brecon Beacons including Pen Y Farn, Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor, the Severn Bridges and Celeeve Hill 86 miles (138 kim) away in Gloucestershire. |t was acquired by the National Trust from Sir Anthony Acland in 1934.
View from Dunkery
The hill is blanketed in heather and in the summer this gives it a deep purple colour. Ling and bell heather, gorse, sessile oak, ash, rowan, hazel, bracken, mosses, liverworts, lichens and ferns all grow here or in surrounding woodland, as well as some unique whitebeam species. Exmoor ponies, red deer, pied flycatchers, wood warblers, lesser spotted woodpeckers, redstarts, dippers, snipe, skylarks and kestrels are some of the fauna to be found here and in nearby Horner Woods. Horner Woods are also the home to 14 of the 16 UK bat species, which include barbastelle and Bechstein’s bats.
Dunster
The highly picturesque medieval village of Dunster is on the north-west tip of Exmoor and is characterized by thatched cottages,a unique 17th century octagonal yarn market and the romantic, turreted, Dunster Castle standing high on a steep hill overlooking the village. The castle is a National Trust property, has a thirteenth century Norman gatehouse and steeply terraced gardens with a stunning collection of rare plants and herbs. it was one of the last Royalist strongholds in the West Country that only fell during the civil war after a siege of 160 days. Encircling the castle is a twenty-eight acre deer park, criss-crossed with footpaths and home to the eighteenth century Dunster Mill. The Yarn Market still bears visible scars from the English Civil War when a hole was made in the roof beams by a Parlimentarian cannon ball.
Dunster Castle
Dunster Yarn Market
The Priory Church of St George was re-built by monks in the 12th century and is one of Somerset’s most impressive parish churches. The church is virtually all that remains of a priory that was once an important arm of Bath Abbey.
Dunster has about two hundred listed buildings
Porlock
Porlock lies at the foot of Porlock Hill at the western end of the Porlock Vale, which can be reached by going over Dunkery Beacon, and via the picturesque but steep Toll Road. Exmoor ponies roam freely in the wild untamed landscape approaching Porlock and there are extensive views over the Bristol Channel.
Porlock was once the seat of the West Saxon kings, became a busy market town but, by the latter half of the 19th century, was a fairly quiet place whose inhabitants were mainly engaged in fishing and related industries.
A little way along the coast is Porlock Weir which offers a good restaurant, a pub, tea rooms and crabbing. It was once a busy port because of its natural harbour, but it is now a peaceful haven for yachts and a few fishing boats. Just a short walk along the coast is Culbone, which boasts the smallest church in England. The South West Coastal footpath runs close to the village along Porlock Bay.
Porlock
Porlock Vale
Stoke Pero Church
This church is one of the most remote on Exmoor, standing 1013 feet above sea level on the moors about two miles south of Porlock. Only one other dwelling is near the building. The list of rectors dates back to 1242 but the church is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Like some other churches in the area, it retains its Saxon saddleback tower but the body of the church was completely rebuilt by the Aclands in 1897 and a small framed notice tells of Zulu, a donkey, who was used to bring wood from Porlock every day.
Selworthy
The charming village of Selworthy lies in the heart of the Holnicote estate in a magnificent setting on the northern fringes of Exmoor. The estate of 12,443 acres is the National Trust's main property on Exmoor.
At first glance the cream-washed stone, thatched cottages seem typical of many ancient settlements in this area. However, Selworthy was rebuilt in 1828 by Sir Thomas Acland of Killerton.
Sir Thomas was a philanthropist and designed the 'model' village himself to provide housing for the aged and infirm of the Holnicote estate. He used traditional designs and materials to create a deliberately old-fashioned village.
Selworthy
Allerford Bridge
Wimbleball Lake
One of the West Country's largest reservoirs, managed by South West Water and supplying a large part of Devon and Somerset. The 161ft (50m) high dam runs across the River Haddeo, a tributary of the Exe. It is accessible on foot from Haddon Hill, where there is a car park, toilets, heathland walks and Exmoor ponies. There is also a car park at Bessom Bridge at the northern end of the lake, where there is a nature reserve. The main facilities are at Cowlings, where there is a recreation area, refreshments tin season), fishing and sailing (via the Wimbleball Sailing Club). Paths extend for about 10 miles (16 km) around most of the lake shore.
Wimbleball Lake
Exmoor National Park Wildlife
Exmoor National Park offers truly breathtaking landscapes, it is a rare wilderness of beauty and tranquillity. Friendly people, good food and a healthy atmosphere makes Exmoor special. Red deer, wild boar and the famous wild and endangered Exmoor Pony roam free.
