Things to do on Exmoor

HORSE RIDING

WALKING

CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING

FISHING

BADGER WATCHING

CYCLING

FALCONRY

SAFARIS

ARCHAEOLOGY

HORSE RIDING ON EXMOOR

Novice and experienced riders have a wide choice of equestrian establishments in the Exmoor National Park. Exmoor has 290 miles of well maintained and signed bridleways.

The Exmoor Pony Centre, Nr Dulverton - Riding for the experienced or less experienced. Taster sessions for anyone wanting to know more about these unique ponies.

Periton Park Riding Stables, Minehead - Tel: 01643 705970 Small friendly BHS approved riding stables and holiday centre set in 30 acres of private grounds. Open all year.

Huntscott House Stables, Huntscott, Wootton Courtenay - Tel: 01643 841272 Small family run stables for the more experienced adult. Direct access to open moorland. (We often visit these stables with our safari customers for the pleasure of seeing the neat stableyard, fine horses and unusual collection of bird life) Open all year.

West Anstey Farm Stables, Nr Dulverton - Tel: 01398 341354 Riding or trekking groups or individually. Open all year.

Pine Lodge (Nr Dulverton) - Year round riding and riding holidays. BHS Approved. All abilities welcome.

Liscombe Farm, Liscombe (Nr Tarr Steps) - All abilities welcome in escorted friendly groups.

Burrowhayes Farm, West Luccombe, Nr Porlock - Escorted rides in the glorious Horner Valley and on the open moorland of Dunkery, etc.

These are the stables we know within easy driving distance but there are many more slightly further afield.

WALKING

The Exmoor National Park has 600 miles of well maintained and signposted Rights of Way of which 270 miles are exclusively Footpaths.

The Exmoor National Park publishes details of walks suitable for various abilites and age groups. This information is available at the Exmoor National Park visitor and information centres situated in all the main towns and villages. The terrain on Exmoor can be quite demanding with steep sided valleys and numerous hills. Less strenuous walking can be found by following river courses or on tracks around the nearby Wimbleball Lake.

National Park organised and escorted walks are available at regular intervals. The dates and details can be found in the copy of the publication 'Exmoor Visitor' which will be in the accommodation.

An Ordnance Survey map for the area is provided in the accommodation for use by visitors. The mapping of additional open Access Land to comply with the CROW Act is expected to be completed during 2005 and the provisional versions can be viewed at Visitor Centres and other outlets.

Several Footpaths and Bridleways pass nearby to Station Cottage with walks to Luxborough, Brompton Regis or further afield through forest and farm land.

Visitors are asked to respect the provisions of the new Countryside Code. In particular; farm gates to be left open or closed as they are found; dogs should be under control and on leads when anywhere near livestock or during the nesting season for ground nesting birds in spring.

CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING

There are no dedicated clay shooting grounds within the Exmoor National Park at the present time. However, at weekends there are regular and properly organised clay shoots at farms within easy driving distance. Details are available from Duncan at Station Cottage.

Private shooting and coaching are available.

Shalden Shooting School - Morebath near Bampton, Owner and coach Rod Brammer with Matt Brammer. Multiple layouts to suit practicing game shots or clay pigeon enthusiasts.

Exmoor Falconry & Animal Farm, Allerford, Nr Porlock - Clay shooting and tuition available by arrangement.

FISHING

Fishing is a popular pastime on Exmoor with various types to suit all tastes.

Wimbleball Lake - Premier trout fishery

Nick Hart, Fly Fishing - Fly fishing courses and guided river fishing

Oaktree Fishery, West Anstey - Specialising in coarse fishing

John Dawson, Bampton - 01398 331498 Game Fishing and Fly Dressing Tuition

Lance Nicholson, Dulverton - Fishing, walking and shooting equipment and clothing. Fishing information and licences.

Four Ponds Fishery - Carp & Coarse Fishing

BADGER WATCHING

Wild Badger Magic - Tel: 01398 351506 Open evenings April to September

CYCLING

Exmoor boasts a comprehensive network of roads and tracks suitable for all types of cycling. The development of cycle friendly routes is a project being examined by the Park Authority. The terrain is quite demanding

Pompy's Bicycle Hire, Minehead - Sales, service, parts and accessories.

FALCONRY

Exmoor Falconry, Allerford - Flying Displays, Hawk Walks, Falconry Days.

Falconers Retreat - Displays, Hunting Parties, Falconry Lessons

SAFARIS

Barle Valley Safaris (See this website) is the largest 4 x 4 safari operator in the Exmoor National Park and our Land Rover carries about 2,000 visitors a year to the less accessible areas of the National Park to see the magnificent scenery and to view the wildlife.

A standard safari tour lasts 3 hours and can leave from Dulverton, Dunster or Minehead with departures three times daily during the summer and twice daily in the winter months. All the safari routes incorporate off-road sections and can vary according to season and the likely whereabouts of the deer herds and Exmoor ponies.

ARCHAEOLOGY

The Exmoor National Park can boast numerous archaelogical sites and remains from every age. The Bronze and Iron Ages are particularly well represented with burial sites and fortified villages visible from almost any viewing point. Evidence of mining activities from ancient to more recent times is visible at a lot of places.

During the shortest of walks even the untrained eye can spot the remains of medieval farmsteads and field systems on or around the open moorland.

The short lived local industrial boom of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries is well represented by abandoned villages, railway beds, derelict mills and disused mines. Ruined stone buildings half buried in undergrowth stimulate the imagination and give clues to the diverse activities which occupied a larger population a century and a half ago.

This topic could occupy many pages. Any of the National Park Visitor centres can supply literature and leaflets to satisfy the keenest enthusiast.