Exmoor National Park

Exmoor National Park, designated park area in south-western England, established in 1954. It occupies 693 sq km (267 sq mi), with roughly one third in Devon, and two thirds in Somerset. The northern boundary of the park is formed by 54 km (34 mi) of coastline on the Bristol Channel, from Combe Martin in the west, to Minehead in the east, and extends inland to Dulverton in the south. The valleys of the West and East Lyn, the Barle, and the Exe rivers dissect the park and drain into the Bristol and English channels. The high moorland plateau, of sandstone, grit, and slate, is mostly over 396 m (1,300 ft); the highest point in the park is Dunkery Beacon at 519 m (1,704 ft), and the northern end of the South West Coast Path follows the hills of the coastline, which rise to 433 m (1,420 ft) and are the highest in England.

Further inland the landscape changes to undulating hills and picturesque wooded valleys, known as combes. Exmoor National Park is able to sustain a wide diversity of wildlife on its moors, hills, heaths, and marshland. The area is home to the rare wild moorland Exmoor pony, the largest herd of wild red deer outside Scotland, and many varieties of birds including snipe, curlew, kestrels, and buzzards. The rivers support salmon and trout populations.

Exmoor is very popular with walkers and there are many well-marked paths, including the coastal path. The Tarr Steps, a medieval clapper (rustic stone) bridge, spans the River Barle and is very popular with visitors. It is said to be the oldest and longest bridge of its kind in Great Britain. At the centre of the park is Exmoor Forest, which from Norman times was used by royalty for stag hunting.

Standing stones and hill forts indicate that Exmoor has been populated since prehistoric times and farming was developed in the Neolithic period. Exmoor Horn sheep and Red Devon cattle were bred to suit local conditions until the 19th century; agriculture continues to be an important part of the local economy. The Doone Valley was the setting for the main events in the novel Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor (1869) by R. D. Blackmore, which was based on a legend about a family of Exmoor outlaws. The area enjoyed some notoriety for smuggling and banditry up to the 17th century.