Here are our expert-recommended campsites and attractions in and around the Exmoor National Park
Exmoor National Park is located in the southwest of England. It covers an area of 267 square miles and is home to the semi-wild Exmoor ponies. The park is a great place to escape the crowds and enjoy some peace and quiet.
If you're looking for a stunning landscape to explore, look no further than Exmoor National Park. Home to wild ponies, peaceful river valleys and rocky coastlines, this park is a great place to spend a day or a long weekend.
The park is a sprawling area of rugged landscape. There are plenty of trails to explore, and the scenery constantly changes. If you're looking for a place to escape the crowds, Exmoor is definitely worth checking out.
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The park's rugged coastline gained heritage coast recognition in 1991, and it's easy to see why; cliff faces reaching over 800 feet high dominate the coastline at Great Hangman, and there are plenty of sheltered coves and harbours to explore.
Top Exmoor Attractions
An Exmoor Pony
Attractions in the national park include the iconic Tarr Steps clapper bridge, the River Barle Valley and the medieval castle and the historic waterwheel in Dunster. There are plenty of historical attractions to visit, and the park is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. If you want to see some of the most stunning landscapes in England, don't miss out on Exmoor National Park.
Also worth a visit is the pretty village of Lynmouth; the village was all but destroyed by a flood in 1952 with buildings and bridges being washed away. The aftermath of the flood and the village's history can be discovered in the Flood Memorial Hall, a converted lifeboat station near the centre of the village.
The iconic Exmoor pony roams across nearly the entire area of Exmoor National Park, and it is an iconic symbol of the area. This hardy breed is one of the oldest native breeds in Britain. The ponies are semi-feral but are all owned by someone. If you're interested in seeing these beautiful animals up close, head to one of the moorland car parks near Dulverton for a virtually guaranteed sighting.
Mill Park is a small family-run sheltered touring caravan and camping site set in an attractive wooded valley on the North Devon Coast. It has a shop, a takeaway, a games room, laundry, and many other facilities such as gas-changing and ice pack freezing. Several glamping options, including three bell tents and three glamping pods, are available on-site. There is also an on-site pub serving a modest menu. Mill Park is surrounded by attractive woodland and is an ideal family site as it's just a short walk to quiet sand and pebble beaches.
Exmoor House Caravan and Motorhome Club site is well situated on the outskirts of the charming country town of Dulverton, alongside the River Barle. It is professionally run and all facilities are maintained to a very high standard. The site is well landscaped with tarmac roads and a choice of 66 pitches, all gravel hardstandings and a further 8 fully serviced. Some are quite small but certainly not cramped. All have 16 amp electricity hook-ups. Walls and hedges divide the site into smaller areas. It is ideal for those who simply want to relax and enjoy the birdsong, but there are numerous opportunities for an adventurous stay, with canoeing and kayaking on the doorstep and sailing and fishing at Wimbleball Lake, just five miles away.
Lynmouth Holiday Retreat is a quiet park situated in a sunny, south-facing position overlooking Lynton and Lynmouth. The park is divided into two areas, an open area that is sheltered by bushes and trees, and one that is more exposed but enjoys panoramic views over the coast. The gently sloping ground provides fairly level pitches with 31 touring pitches, 17 have 16A electricity and the remainder are fully serviced. The grass is well cared for and there is site lighting, although a torch would be useful.
Newberry Valley Park is set in a tranquil, semi-wooded valley that slopes down towards the rugged North Devon coast, on the edge of Combe Martin. Three wide terraces and several sheltered fields provide 110 good sized touring pitches (105 with 16A electricity), with views to the surrounding hills. These vary from 26 fully serviced, large pitches (16 with hardstanding) with picnic tables to simple grass areas more suitable for tents. Combe Martin Bay has two beaches with rock pools and caves, and Newberry Beach is only a five-minute walk from the site down a small path.
Hele Valley is a well established park located a mile from Ilfracombe in a wooded valley and only a few minutes’ walk from Hele Bay beach. Here you will find quaint coves and a genuine smuggler’s cave. The park caters for tents, motorhomes and smaller caravans only, because of the difficult access. Of the 118 pitches, 50 are available for touring units and 30 are for tents. Some of the pitches are on terracing, strung out along a valley and surrounded by trees and hedges. All have 16A electricity, 16 are fully serviced and 16 have hardstanding. Parents must keep children away from the steep-sided stream running the length of the park.
This superbly located farm campsite can be found nestling in a valley beside the River Exe. The working farm provides four meadows, all without electricity, and is ideal for ‘back to basics’ style touring. Uniquely, open fires are permitted in one field with logs being available to purchase. You can marvel at the wildlife, wander around the working farm and sample the farm’s own produce in the shop, which also stocks basic provisions. Walking maps can be found at reception which is located in the old dairy.
This delightful park with riding stables on site, is on the edge of Exmoor. The stone packhorse bridge over Horner Water beside the farm entrance sets the tone of the park, which the Dascombe family have created over the last forty years having previously farmed the land. The farm buildings have been converted into riding stables with escorted rides available (from Easter). Touring and tent pitches are on a partly sloping field with marvellous views, or a flatter location in a clearing by the river, while 20 caravan holiday homes are in a separate area. Electrical hook-ups are available (16A), although some require long leads (25 m). There are six fully serviced pitches.
A truly rural park with beautiful, moorland views, you may be lucky enough to glimpse red deer across the valley or see ponies and foals grazing outside the main gate which is adjacent to the moor. Two open, neatly cut fields (level at the top) back onto traditional hedging and slope gently to the middle and bottom where wild flowers dominate. One field provides 10A electricity points and is used for motorhomes, caravans and tents requiring electricity, the other is for tents. Reception is in the farmhouse – leave your unit by the toilet block and walk down to the farm kitchen to book in.
Occupying a prime position in a wooded valley alongside the River Exe, within the National Park, Exe Valley Caravan Site is ideally situated for visiting Tarr Steps, Dulverton, the North Somerset coast and many other beautiful places in the area. This quiet, adult only, four-acre campsite is owned and managed by Paul and Christine Matthews and their excellent wardens. Set beside the River Exe, or the millstream, there are 50 large pitches (mostly grass but with some hardstandings at the top end and one near the entrance), of which 47 have 10A electricity and TV hook-ups (cable provided on loan). Reception is now at the entrance. The owner’s home is an old mill, complete with working water wheel and millstones, that opens to visitors most Sundays at 10 am.
Lowtrow Cross is a small, adults only park situated just inside Exmoor National Park and is ideal for owners of well behaved dogs. It is quietly located on a hillside giving lovely views north towards the Brendon Hills. There are 28 mixed pitches, four occupied by caravan holiday homes (two for hire) and six seasonal, and all the remaining touring pitches are hardstanding with grass surround, with 16A electricity and TV socket. An adjacent meadow with stunning views over the rolling countryside can be used for tents. Although there is no bar or restaurant on site there is Lowtrow Cross Inn at the gate with local cask beers and excellent food.
