Category: Landscapes

Hoar Oak Valley

I spent today’s exercise back up on the moor, continuing my search for the sources of the tributaries of the East Lyn, this time to the source of the Hoar Oak up on the Chains. My circular walk from Exe Head to Furzehill via Pinkery Pond & back up the Hoar Oak also took in the sources of the Exe & the West Lyn. It’s amazing how close the Exe & Hoar Oak sources are – only about 80m with one draining north in to the Bristol Channel & the other south in to the English Channel. I was also surprised how much otter spraint I saw high up on the moor – they must use the footpaths to travel between the different rivers.

Danny Jarvis, 15 February 2021

When Exmoor awakens

Jennifer Filmer took these photos on 5 February 2021.

A Lone Beech

Photos by Sarah Hailstone.

Evening Walk

Great colours on this evening’s walk – from the greens of the moss on the trees in Barton Wood to the quality of the light looking across the Bristol Channel to Wales.

Danny Jarvis, 4 February 2021

Winter at the Valley of Rocks

Rebecca Crush took this photo in the Valley of Rocks a few years ago when the “Beast from the East” battered the West Country.

Helwell Bay

The beach between Watchet and Doniford is home to some of the earliest ammonite fossils recorded in Britain.

The red and green striped rocks on your left are Mercia Mudstones, dating from a time when the landmass was part of an ancient desert near the hot equator, similar to the Sahara today; on your right are grey mudstones belonging to the Helwell Marls. These marls are the youngest Jurassic rocks exposed on the Somerset coast and date from around 200 million years ago, when sea levels rose and Watchet was submerged in shallow seas. Here you will find some of the earliest ammonite fossils recorded in Britain.

Love Watchet

Lewis Winter took the kids for a walk on 3 February, enjoying the sunshine, and came back with these photos:

Tall Trees at Nutcombe Bottom

Did you know that England’s largest trees grow on Exmoor? Nutcombe Bottom, situated not far from Dunster on the road to Timberscombe and Wheddon Cross, is a popular walking and picnic site, featuring the “Tall Tree Trail”.

Here you can find a plantation of Douglas fir trees dating back to 1876 – the largest tree was 60.5 metres when it was last measured in 2009. Its trunk has an estimated weight of 50 tonnes with a diameter of 1.74. metres.

Gillian Wells was there and shared these photos with us.

The Skies over Hadden Hill

Last Monday when we had the most beautiful snow day on Exmoor, Andrea Corrie took these two phots at Hadden Hill.

Dusk at the Valley of Rocks

Rebecca Crush went for a late afternoon walk at the Valley of Rocks and took these photos for us:

Dunster Castle

Not often do we have the chance to see Dunster castle from a new perspective – thanks to Liam Holly who shared this aerial view of the castle and the village all the way to Minehead and North Hill with us on Instagram.