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Exmoor is one of 14 National Parks In the UK, selected for special protection as our finest landscapes. It is looked after by the Exmoor National Park Authority, for all to enjoy in partnership with a thriving community.
Exmoor National Park Authority
The Authority is currently made up of 26 members with plans to reduce the numbers. There are 5 each from Somerset County Council and West Somerset District Council, 2 each from Devon County Council and North Devon District Council, 5 parish council nominees and 7 members are appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment to represent the national interest.
Exmoor National Park Authority Headqauarters Building in Dulverton
The Authority decides how the National Park is to be run on the advice of the National Park Officer and his staff. The National Park Officer oversees the work of the Authority with the help of about 90 full and part time specialist staff, whose work falls into the following categories:
Planning and Community
Development control
Local plan
Enforcement of planning regulations
Conservation and Land Management
Farm liaison
woodland management
Ecological surveys
Archaeology
Historic buildings Conservation Areas
landscape conservation
recreation and Tourism
Access to open country
Traffic and transport
Tourism initiatives
recreation
Long distance trails
Education and Interpretation
Visitor centres
Education centre
Education services
Information
Communication with media
Publications
Rangers
Rights of Way
Liaison with landowners, residents and visitors
Monitoring of activities and events
Assistance with emergencies
Business management
Accounting and budgeting
Member and personnel services
Information technology
Car parks, toilets and buildings
Clerical work
Supplies
Path maintenance
Estate work
Exmoor National Park covers 693 km2 (267sq. miles) of unspoilt countryside in the south-west of England. Part is in Devon (29%) and part in Somerset (71%). There are heather covered hills, narrow wooded valleys and fast running rivers excellent for fishing. The moor takes its name from the River Exe, which rises there. Where Exmoor meets the sea are the highest cliffs in England, huge caves that can only be reached by boat, hidden inlets and pebbly beaches. It is uncrowded and remote, with many secret places to discover and explore. Exmoor ponies and red deer make their home there and there are rare birds, butterflies and unusual plants for the sharp-eyed to spot. It is an ideal place for a country holiday especially for those who enjoy walking and riding.
Exmoor as a National Park
During World War II, the Government decided that it was important to preserve wild and beautiful landscapes to prevent countryside being built over or lost in other ways. It was also thought that everybody, especially those living in cities, should have the opportunity to visit the country and enjoy the fresh air, freedom and scenery. So in 1949 the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act was passed enabling National Parks and other special areas to be set up. In 1954 Exmoor was created a National Park. It was designated in January by the National Parks Commission, whose job it was to propose the boundaries of the National Park. Because there were many objections there was a public enquiry and it was not until the following October that the Government confirmed Exmoor as a National Park.
The objections came mostly from local councils because the Government was making them run the National Park without giving them any extra money to do so.
Exmoor was chosen as a National Park because of its size and scenery and also because it was one of the few relatively wild areas in the south of England that people from London, the Midlands and South Wales could visit easily. At the time there were worries that parts of Exmoor might be lost by being planted with conifers, and that unsightly buildings were spoiling the farms and villages. One present-day problem is that too many visitors to popular beauty spots can lead to traffic congestion on narrow roads and to footpath and bridleway erosion. Currently the main problems are loss of habitat and loss of wildlife with climate change seeming to have an impact. It is the job of the Exmoor National Park Authority, often known as the ENPA, to try to sort out problems like these to the benefit of Exmoor itself, visitors and the local community.
Exmoor is mostly made up of sedimentary Devonian rocks, including slates, grits and sandstones. About 350 million years ago they were the mud and sand of an ocean bed, which was later forced up by a massive upheaval of the earth’s crust. The strata (layers) were tilted and folded to form under pressure the mass of rock which was to become Exmoor.
The red sandstone which makes up most of Exmoor gives rise to well-drained soils while on the slates there are often wet and peaty soils.
Most of Exmoor is privately owned by farmers although over 10% belongs to the National Trust and the ENPA owns 7%.
More than 500,000 sheep and lambs are kept on Exmoor’s 872 farms and smallholdings. Beef is produced as well and there are a few dairy herds, but they are fast disappearing. There is little arable farming save in the fertile Vale of Porlock where high quality barley is grown. Hardy animals native to Exmoor and bred to withstand the cold and wet of Exmoor winters are Exmoor Horn and Devon Closewool sheep and Red Devon cattle.
Many farmers now provide accommodation for visitors to supplement their incomes.
Exmoor is sparsely populated. About half of its population of nearly 11,000 live in small towns and villages; the rest in hamlets and isolated farms. Lynton, Porlock and Dulverton are the largest settlements. farming changes, high house prices and lack of employment are forcing young people to move away from Exmoor, while others are buying second or retirement homes within the National Park.
Key periods in Exmoor’s History
c 8000 BC Following the last Ice Age Exmoor became covered with woodland. Mesolithic people moved und, hunting, fishing, gathering edible plants and using natural materials for warmth and shelter. Hawkcombe Head was a flint knapping site where tools were made.
c 4000 BC Neolithic people began farming. They felled trees, built shelters, cultivated land and kept livestock.
c 2000 BC Exmoor became drier and warmer. Bronze Age people occupied the higher ground and continued to clear and cultivate land for farming. They buried their dead in round barrows and raised stone monuments.
c 700 BC The climate became cooler and wetter and
settlers moved to lower ground. Iron Age tribes built forts on hill tops for protection and smaller enclosed farms on hill slopes.
c 50 - 70 AD The Romans built signal stations on the coast at Old Burrow and Martinhoe so that they could watch out for attacks from South Wales. They also mined and smelted iron ore.
700 - 800 AD During this period the Saxons built farms and villages below Exmoor’s spring-lines. Many Saxon names remain today e.g. names ending in ‘ton’, ‘ham’, ‘cot’ and ‘worthy’.
1066 The Norman conquest of England.
c11th - 17th Much of Exmoor was owned by the King and became a Royal Forest. Outside the Forest boundaries, people in small settlements made their living from the land.
1818 Exmoor Forest was bought by John Knight, a wealthy Midlands industrialist. He and his son Frederic were responsible for enclosing and clearing the moor for cultivation, establishing a series of farms and a system of farming suitable for the area. There was mining for a short time in the second half of the 19th century around Simonsbath and on the Brendon Hills. In 1897 the Knight estate became the property of Lord Fortescue.
1954 Exmoor became a National Park. In 1974 a new
National Park Authority was set up with a staff which had offices in Dulverton.
1997 The National Park Authority became independent of Somerset and Devon County Councils.
1993 Exmoor became an ESA (Environmentally Sensitive Area), making government grants available for farmers to help protect the wildlife and character of the area.
The role of the Exmoor National Park Authority is:
- to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and
cultural heritage of Exmoor
- to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment
of the special qualities of Exmoor by the public
Whilst pursuing these aims the ENPA also has to consider the
social and economic needs of the local community. If there is
any conflict between the aims the conservation of the landscape must come first. The ENPA has to strike a balance, recognising
that the local community relies to a large extent on visitors for
its livelihood but at the same time making sure that recreational
activities are appropriate to Exmoor and do not detract in any
way from its special beauty or wild landscape.
If there is an application for, say, a new car park or camp site
or change of use of a barn into holiday accommodation the
Planning Department of Exmoor National Park Authority
becomes involved, but it is the National Park’s Education,
recreation and Ranger services, with the help of the Field
Services Team that are most concerned with visitors and their
enjoyment of Exmoor.
Together they are responsible for:
- Visitor information centres at Dulverton, Dunster,
County Gate, Lynmouth and Combe Martin
- Visitor facilities e.g. car parks, picnic sites and toilets
- Access - keeping over 1100 km (680 miles) of footpaths
and bridleways open
- Repair of bridges, stiles and signposts
- Preparing Publications to inform and advise
- Guided walks and talks
- Environmental Education service
- Volunteer groups
- Day-to-day contact with the public by the National Park
Rangers, other staff and volunteers
Administrative Offices
Exmoor House, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9HL Tel 01398 323665, Fax 01398 323150 Email: info@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
National Park Ranger Service
Please contact the Rangers at Exmoor House on the number above unless urgent, in which case phone 07970 099111
National Park Centres
Dulverton - Limited lunchtime closing- Fore Street.
Tel 01398 323841.
E-mail: NPCDulverton@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
1 April to end-October,
10am -5pm daily,
also open daily in winter for reduced hours.
Dunster - Dunster Steep. Tel 01643 821835. E-mail: NPCDunster@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk 1 April to end-October, 10am - 5pm daily. Limited winter opening.
Lynmouth - Lyndale Car Park
Tel 01598 752509.
17 March - 2 November,
LOCAL INFORMATION POINTS
Allerford Post Office
Barbrook Post Office
Boeveys Restaurant, Simonsbath
Brompton Regis Post Office & Stores
Challacombe Post Office
Exford Newsagents
Farmers Den, Simonsbath
Molland Village Stores & Post Office
Parracombe Stores & Post Office
Wheddon Cross
Winsford Stores & Post Office
Withypool Post Office & Stores
Wootton Courtenay The Villagers' Stores
Tourist Information Centres |
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