Sunday, September 28, 2025

EXMOOR & THE QUANTOCKS - September 2025

EXMOOR, THE QUANTOCKS & SLIMBRIDGE


          Coast From Nr Lynmouth


 Dunkery Hill 

Lynmouth 

Sunday 28th September
Had just 4 nights free, so Exmoor was quite a slog to get to for such a short time...but weather wise it was far better than the forecast for Wales or the Lakes. I drove it without stopping, 4.5 hours..to ensure I got there before it was dark, in fact I arrived just before sunset, and found a cracking night stop at the top of the super steep Porlock Hill. The views along the coast and over the moors were outstanding, but the best was after a night's nap....


Monday 29th September
An advantage of the days closing in, is that sunrise is at a reasonable hour (about 7am)..and I awoke to the most glorious sunrise, see photos. Using a combo of ChatGPT (for a general itinerary) and Komoot (for specific routes) I drove west along the coast to Lynmouth (and  Linton)...a very pretty setting in between the coastal cliffs and estuary of the Lyn, and the location of a tragic flash flood in the 50's that claimed several lives. 

The Komoot route was a affectively a figure of eight, with Lynmouth  being the crossover point. Firstly it took me up the river valley, via Watersmeet, then climbed up and over to the cliffs looking over the coast.. Back down into Lynmouth, where I sat for a while looking out across the Bristol Channel over to Wales. The footpath up to Linton was a challenge, at times it was so steep my new trail shoes were slipping! Now heading west, towards apparently one of the hotspots, the Valley of the Rocks. A dry valley (glacial reasons) with a border of sandstone edges, rather tor like....certainly had character, but relative to how I've been rather spoilt in more mountainous national parks this year! 



 The full hike was 17km, no poles and with my new HOKA trail shoes, I continued my progress on walk / jog...in fact this was the most I had done the jog part since I started....and so far so good! 🤞 All in all a good day out, quite diverse and very enjoyable.
On completion and after a short chill, I decided to explore the interior of Exmoor and eventually find a place for the night....heading through Simonsbath and Exford I generally was not that impressed. I guess the name Exmoor is a giveaway, as swathes of the vista were the endless homogeneous bleak heather terrain. It does nothing for me, although later I came across more I guess cultivated areas...much like the contrast of the White and Dark Peak District.


 The plan for tomorrow was a decent gravel bike ride including the highest peak of Dunkery Hill, but the enthusiasm for biking 3 hours in this sort of terrain did not excite....I'd learnt that lesson earlier in the year on my Yorkshire tour....also I noticed a road practically went over Dunkerry Hill, so off I set. I arrived just prior to sunset, and decided to walk to to the summit just a mile away at the most. 
The sunset was amazing, as was the after glow of varying pinks lighting up the high cirrus....see the photos. Encountered a farmer's daughter who was exercising about 15 springer spaniels..Lovely dogs, under different circumstances I would've pinched a couple!
I decided to stay the night on the shoulder of the summit, and pleased I did....



Tuesday 30th September
Because again, I was welcomed by an amazing sunrise, and being at the highest point in the National Park, I had tremendous views...including the valleys which were engrossed in lowland mist....

 The original plan was to cycle this area, but as stated before, the heather vistas simply do nothing for me...so I decided to travel the 30 mins back north east to the Quantocks....but what a disaster of a morning:

Firstly there was a diversion sign for a rural road closure...the diversion made the journey over 90 minutes and later learnt it had been totally unnecessary. Looking later on my Google Maps timeline, I'd basically done a "sausage loop", and arrived back at the same place! I decided to find my own detour but down many tiny high hedged lanes, and at one point several "warrior" pickups with hunting types in them came the opposite way...rather a squeeze. I arrived in the village for the start of my ride, only to discover I'd left my Garmin in Sheffield (after turning the van inside out), so clear navigation was out....to then discover that the actual start point of the route was a mile away....
Not to worry I thought, only a mile I can easily cycle there...so off I went with Komoot on audio in my back pocket...to immediately confront a 25% gradient, that went on and on and on...to the route...one mile of almost impossible climbing (for my fitness) with zig zagging at points just to keep the wheels rolling.
I made the top without stopping, but immediately Komoot was getting confused about directions...telling me I'm off course, turn left, turn right...I cycled not 800m more (clocking an elevated super van spot) and gave up, my enthusiasm was empty!
Returning (at 70kmh) to the van, I took a deep breath and told myself to reset.

I drove back up the hill, and straight to that spot where I'd quit the bike ride, got my chair out with book and the rest of the weekend's Times...made a cuppa, and sat in a glorious autumn sun trap for 3 hours or so. Unlike me, but for once, this inactivity was throughly enjoyable! As the sun started to drop, it looked like another stunning sunset...so I decided to hike off into the moors to a higher point! And it was really worthwhile, both the sunset and also meeting another bunch of springer spaniels. Four this time, stunning black, liver and white markings...the owner did suggest I should have (at least) one with my (UK) lifestyle....but it's the restriction on travel further afield that I still hanker for....?

Anyway, muts aside, I returned to the van, by which time it was practically dark and settled down for the night reading and catching some Champions League footy with a temperature boost from my heater! Blissful van life!!


Wednesday 1st October
Back on the bike, determined to find out what the Quantocks had to offer, and is there a better way? Komoot navigation again on phone in back pocket, actually worked quite well, just a few double checks....

 Became very impressed with the varied terrain, from broad moorland gravel tracks to woodland single gnarly ups and downs...glades galore etc. Perfect for gravel riding...unfortunately the route was a kind of figure of eight with the van in the middle....after near 2 hours I passed it for the second time with approx one more 10km loop to complete, in a new area...but the temptation to stop and put the kettle on was too much...Id done 2 hours and it was quite tough in places...anyhow after sorting myself and the bike back on the rack I regretted not continuing....next time then, if I ever return to this area....but where to next?

I planned to be back in Sheffield for Thursday teatime, and the continuous 4.5 hour drive was a little too much...so looked for somewhere to take a chunk out of the return journey.. I considered the Glastonbury area, but whilst checking the map I noticed Slimbridge. The original Peter Scott wildfowl centre, I had visited once before, about 55 years ago! So, Google Map was set to some parking spot (from Park4Night) just 15 minutes from Slimbridge. Driving through a surprisingly busy Taunton rush hour, 90 mins later I arrived. The spot was excellent, with an elevated view over the Cotswolds and the Severn estuary with Wales in the distance, and another spectacular sunset. But at first ballsy,  I then hesitated to stay there, as there were no overnight parking signs and what looked like a fake CCTV camera, or was it? Anyhow I checked the app again, and found a pretty ideal one not 8 mins away, a small remote carpark for Cam Peak, near Dursley - not so ballsy after all Ainsworth?!

 


Thursday 2nd October 

First thing I decided to do my walk jogging effort...first a short sharp one up Cam Peak, with decent views, but soon travelled the 15 mins to Slimbridge. 

 Bit disappointing tbh, very zoo like....open various geographical enclosures / ponds with mainly wildfowl, I assume clipped. A large closed aviary with avocet, red shank, godwit, sandpiper etc - really unsure about these....and admittedly some stunning varieties of flamingo. 

There were "wild" hides overlooking lagoons and marsh of the Severn with flocks of wigeon and grey lag geese amongst others...but after 2 hours I'd seen enough and headed back norf.  With a Sale detour to collect the very last Mallorcan artefacts from Sally...a very nice drive over the Peaks via Winnats and home again, but until when?

 

 

  

So, was a chunk of 5 hours worth the trip to Exmoor? In fairness under normal situations I would have probably stayed and explored for at least 2 weeks, but also venturing around Cornwall and even the Dorset Jurassic coastline. In this context though NO! What I saw of the interior of Exmoor is lots of that homogeneous heather landscape, very Yorkshire - the coastline though was very nice....and the Quantocks certainly offered more diversity....but you'll never beat the character of Snowdonia,  the Lakes and Scotland....I'm just too spoilt!


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