145 - Exmoor : Description

Physical and functional links to other National Character Areas

The high hills of Exmoor Forest and the Brendon Hills form a backdrop to large portions of lower-lying western Somerset and mid and north Devon. Views from the higher hills and ‘beacons’ are extensive and impressive, in places as far as the south Wales coast. From the southern edge of Exmoor views across the Culm to Dartmoor NCA on the far horizon are of particular note. Even from lower vantage points, such as from Bats Castle above Dunster, views encompass coast, coastal plain, lowlands and uplands from the Quantocks to the east and Dunkery Beacon to the west and even extend as far as Hinkley Point on the edge of Bridgwater Bay. From the likes of Haddon Hill in the south-east of the area, Dunkery Beacon at the heart, and Higher Slade above Ilfracombe, 360 degree panoramas can be experienced taking in vast swathes of surrounding landscape.

The upland areas of Exmoor form the watershed for a number of watercourses. The River Exe flows southward from the area, fed by the Barle and Dane’s Brook and continues south through the heart of the Devon Redlands NCA to Exeter and Exmouth. The River Tone rises in the east of the area to flow through Taunton and on to Bridgwater Bay, Vale of Taunton and Quantock Fringes NCA. Further west the rivers Yeo, Mole and Bray drain south and westward to feed the Taw.

The sand dune systems and estuaries of the Exmoor NCA are linked through the mechanism of sediment supply to the coastal and marine area, Land’s End to Minehead, which is one sediment cell.

The coastline of the area provides important navigation and maritime reference points for vessels travelling along the Bristol Channel; Morte Point, Little and Great Hangman, Foreland Point, Culbone Hill, Porlock Bay and Selworthy Beacon.

Distinct areas

• Exmoor Forest and the central moorland
• North Devon plateau
• The Brendon Hills
• Porlock and Dunster Vales
• Braunton
• Taw/Torridge estuary

The Exmoor today

The Exmoor area is a predominantly upland landscape; an area underpinned by mid-Devonian sandstones, slates and fissile mudstones (shale) forming plateaux, hills and exposed in a dramatic coast of high cliffs and folded strata. To the east, the upland landscape of the former royal forest and the adjacent Brendon Hills forms a large open, windswept area, mostly devoid of settlement. Dunkery Beacon is the highest point at 513 m, and is a popular destination for visitors. The landscape is dominated by an internationally important mosaic of heathland plant communities, grass moor and blanket bog, where heath and high brown fritillaries can be seen. The moorland is deeply incised by combes containing fast-flowing rivers and streams, with sides blanketed in woodland, particularly sessile oak woods of international nature conservation importance.

This area is extensively grazed by cattle, Exmoor ponies and sheep, including the local breed of Exmoor Horn. To the west, extends a lower plateau of gently undulating hills, more intensively farmed, but still predominantly pastoral in character, and still windswept and mostly devoid of settlement. Spectacular coastal cliffs, some the highest sea cliffs in England, plunge to the sea where the plateaux abruptly meet the Bristol Channel.

The moorland slopes and some areas of former moorland are cloaked in places with conifer plantations, creating dark, rectilinear masses on the skyline. The remote and exposed heart of moorland is surrounded by a more intimate landscape of ancient and irregular, mainly pastoral, hedged fields. Away from the high moor, the western and eastern plateaux are characterised by a more regular pattern of enclosure and closely managed Devon hedgebanks where farmland birds such as skylark, yellowhammer and bullfinch can be seen and heard. The lower slopes and valleys are sparsely scattered with slate and sandstone farmsteads connected by winding, sunken lanes. Wind-pruned lines of beech, grown out from beech hedgebanks, extend up to the moorland edge and across the most exposed areas.

The transition to the gently rolling Culm landscape in the south is often marked by deeply sculpted valleys, such as the River Yeo valley. Further west the boundary to the area is defined by a line of hills terminating at the popular viewpoint on Codden Hill close to Barnstaple.

Water is an important element of the landscape; at times dramatic and active, at others calming and limpid. The central moorland is drained by two main river systems, the Exe, draining south into the English Channel and the Lyn, draining north into the Bristol Channel. Rivers and streams rise and fall rapidly. They present fast-flowing, natural and dynamic systems often with unstable, eroding banks. The ecology of the River Barle means it is considered the best example in Britain of an acidic upland river grading into a richer sandstone river. The lower reaches of the Barle are in deeply incised, meandering valleys, blanketed in oak woodland. Their picturesque and richly varied character is a major attraction for visitors.

The coast is dramatic, with scrub and heath-clad cliffs ending in rock exposures often of folded strata with waterfalls cascading down deep combes between sheltered coves. Much of the coast is remote and inaccessible with no landward access, steep and sheer and even rarely accessible from the sea, providing secure nesting sites for guillemots and razorbills. To the east of the area, land descends and flattens across the fertile vales of Porlock and Dunster, containing rich pasture fields and areas of arable cultivation. The 3 km-long, breached shingle ridge at Porlock Bay, backed by expanses of saltmarsh, is a prominent coastal feature. At the western edge the flat and fertile fields, grazing marsh and internationally important sand dunes beyond Braunton (Braunton Burrows) are in contrast with the rest of the area. Much of the vegetation and associated wildlife found along the coast, whether in the estuary landscapes of the Taw and Torridge or the sandy beaches or rocky cliffs, has a close association with the Atlantic oceanic climate.

Exmoor remains a tranquil landscape, with isolated rubble farmsteads of 18th and 19th-century origin and small settlements found around the edge of the moors, on lower slopes and in valleys, often at river crossings with stone bridges. Settlements along the coast vary in size and character, from the likes of the bustling resorts at Minehead, Combe Martin and Ilfracombe, to the town of Barnstaple at the mouth of the River Taw, and the smaller, historic and picturesque Lynton, Lynmouth and Porlock. The small harbours of Combe Martin, Lynmouth and Porlock Weir were once busy coastal trading posts. They are now more frequently used for recreational sailing and fishing. Inland, small, historic, and often vibrant local centres are found around the periphery of the area, including settlements such as Dulverton, Bampton and Braunton.

Most visits to the area are concentrated on the sandy beaches and coast particularly at Croyde and Woolacombe. Many visitors to the area are attracted by the wealth of wildlife that can be experienced in a ‘wild’ and seemingly unchanging landscape, accessible through an extensive network of rights of way, open access land and trails, such as the South West Coast Path. Along with the rich array of invertebrates to be found, moorland birds, such as short-eared owl, skylark and meadow pipit, stonechat, whinchat, willow warbler, grasshopper warbler, Dartford warbler and cuckoo can be seen and heard. Rare plants, including bryophytes, ferns and lichens, and bats, notably barbastelles and Bechstein’s bats, can be found in the ancient sessile oak woods along with pied flycatcher, redstart and wood warbler. The dune, beach and machair habitats of Braunton Burrows support a wealth of specially adapted plants and animals.

The landscape today clearly reflects the influence of man over millennia. Bronze-age barrows and stone circles form prominent features in the open moorland. The ancient farmland that surrounds the moor contains features such as old farmsteads, mills, leats, lime kilns and other small-scale industrial remains. The tradition of common grazing continues with free-roaming herds of wild Exmoor ponies closely associated with the moorland scene. The legacy of the medieval royal hunting forest lives on. Game shooting is a prominent influence on the landscape to the east of the area, particularly around the Brendon Hills. Exmoor’s communities have a strong sense of identity and culture, and red deer, upland farming and remoteness remain at the heart of that culture.

The landscape through time

The Devonian sandstones and slates which underlie Exmoor were extensively and complexly folded and faulted during the Varsican earth movements about 300 million years ago. The Permo-Triassic rocks of the flat basin of the Vale of Porlock in the east contrast with the surrounding older hills of Devonian sandstone. The Devonian time period was first described in, and is named after Devon, partly based on the rocks found within this NCA. Devonian rocks abut the softer fissile mudstones (shales) and grits of the Culm Measures at the southern boundary of the area, creating deep, steep sided valleys forming the headwaters of the River Exe. Carboniferous slates, limestones and sandstones are found in the south of the area.

Sea-level rises and falls associated with the repeated growth and decay of ice sheets are recorded in the various raised beaches, such as those exposed at Croyde. This area is also renowned for a number of large glacial erratics, unique in south-west England, including one boulder of pink granite at Saunton that weighs 12 tons; the nearest outcrop of similar rocks occurs in western Scotland. To the west of the area, Quaternary deposits of windblown sand, alluvium and river terrace deposits have formed Braunton Marsh and Braunton Burrows, where important sand dune habitats are found. The 3 km-long coastal shingle ridge in Porlock Bay is an excellent example of a driftaligned barrier.

Bronze-age clearance of the wooded landscape of Exmoor, which developed after the last ice-age, coupled with heavy rainfall and leaching, led to the formation of peat and blanket bog across the upland plateau. In turn, this gave rise to heathland used for common grazing. Evidence for extensive early occupation of the area is provided through scatterings of Neolithic remains and the survival of standing stones, stone rows, settings and circles, and barrows of the bronze-age; the Chapman Barrows linear cemetery being a fine and prominent example. Small iron-age hilltop enclosures and settlements overlook river valleys, such as Cow Castle in the Barle valley. The Roman period saw some exploitation of the areas around Brayford and Dulverton for iron working and the formation of prominent coastal forts and signal stations.

The land surrounding the moor and across the western plateau has an agricultural heritage dating principally from the medieval period. Hedgebanks and boundaries, farmsteads, mills, leats and gutter systems, sunken lanes, and lime kilns are features of the landscape often dating from this period. Pastoral farming prevails across most of the western plateaux. Open fields in common cultivation were a feature of the coastal lowlands in the Middle Ages. Another feature of the coast and near shoreline is the number of disused lime kilns, preparing lime closest to the means of transport out of the area. Similarly, at Combe Martin the arisings from silver mining and manganese quarrying could be easily transported from the area by boat.

Braunton Great Field, survives today as an important example of this historic agricultural system. Water mills, constructed in the late medieval and early Tudor periods, exploited the energy and purity of the rivers and streams, fuelling and supporting the wool and cloth industries. Dunster watermill has recently been restored to full working order. Cider orchards were a common sight in valleys and more sheltered parts of the landscape. Cider played an important part in the local agricultural economy, often forming a portion of labourers’ wages. Relict orchards are still present around settlements and farmsteads.

From the mid 11th century, most of Exmoor from Porlock to Bray and from Martinhoe to Dulverton formed the Royal Forest of Exmoor; an open hunting ground for medieval nobles. Forest law and successive Wardens of the Forest had a strong influence on the landscape, often, and sometimes inadvertently, maintaining traditions and features. A culture of hunting and game keeping is still strongly associated with the landscape.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw major changes to the moor, largely carried out by the wealthy Knight family. Over 10,000 acres (c. 4,050 ha) were enclosed after the passing of an Enclosure Act. Long, straight beech hedges were planted, which have now grown-out to form distinctive wind-pruned tree lines. Large tracts of rough moorland vegetation were ‘improved’ and drained for pasture. Model farms and estate buildings were introduced into the landscape. In many places regular fields, windbreaks and farmsteads linked by straight roads remain characteristic features of Exmoor.

The dominance of purple moor grass over heather in the Forest area of the moor is a legacy of these improvements, and those which continued through to the late 20th-century. Other 19th-century estates, including Holnicote, Ashley Combe, Glenthorne, Chargot, and Lee Abbey, helped to shape the character of the landscape, with new woodlands, parkland, estate cottages and unique estate details contributing a designed element to the landscape of Exmoor.

The agricultural improvement of the whole area continued throughout the 20th century, often resulting in the loss or fragmentation of important and fragile habitats, and placing considerable pressure on biodiversity in general. Through the 1960s the rate of moorland loss to agricultural reclamation and improvement ultimately lead to the Government commissioning Lord Porchester to report on the extent of change and the options open to the public authorities to address them. His recommendations on the use of voluntary management agreements have formed the basis for agrienvironment policy across the United Kingdom. In places the planting of large-scale conifer plantations for timber production, in areas of moorland and ancient woodland, has further changed the landscape.

At the beginning of the 19th century the wild and rugged landscape of the Exmoor area was a major influence on the Romantic poets, Coleridge and Wordsworth, and subsequently an important influence on the Picturesque landscape movement. The same remote and wild spirit inspired R D Blackmore to write Lorna Doone. The landscape of Henry Williamson’s novel Tarka the Otter was the landscape of the Taw and Torridge; an early introduction to natural history for many in the 20th century.

To the east of the Exmoor area, designation of the National Park in 1954 has helped ensure the conservation and enhancement of the landscape; acknowledged as being a key reason for the maintenance of its tranquil and remote character. North Devon AONB was designated in 1959 and has supported the conservation and enhancement of much of the dramatic coast and associated inland landscape to the west of the area. More recently, the internationally important habitats of ancient oak wood, the high Exmoor heaths and the maritime assemblages at Braunton Burrows, have been designated as Special Areas of Conservation.

In the early 21st century, lifestyle changes and responses to a changing climate are leading to a further evolution of landscape character. Demand for energy crops, diversification from traditional agriculture and renewable energy initiatives are influencing the character of the landscape. The recently constructed wind farm at Fullabrook, north-east of Barnstaple is currently the largest in England. Suburban influences and small-scale development, altered boundary treatments, garden expansions and plantings, and overhead wires are small, but incremental changes seen more recently. Changes in livestock numbers have contributed to the ‘scrubbing up’ of the heather moorland in places.