Exmoor

EXMOOR'S rugged grandeur and Lynton and Lynmouth's charm and beauty are truly breathtaking and that's a promise.

Set aside a whole day if you can to enjoy the leisurely drive across the moor and visit the twin villages at the head and foot of the highest sea cliffs in England.

The National Park's 692 square kilometers – 267 square miles – has heather-clad moorland, deep wooded coombes, ancient churches, old packhorse bridges and cosy inns. It is home to herds of wild red deer, ponies and wonderful birdlife.

• The beautiful Exmoor ponies.

There are numerous ways to get to the moor and the Lyns, including via the A39 to Blackmoor Gate, or from South Molton to North Molton, or from Combe Martin on winding roads through the spectacular Valley of the Rocks with its wild goats.

No visit to Lynton and Lynmouth would be complete without a trip on the unique water-powered cliff railway that connects the two communities.

The Victorians named the area Little Switzerland and publisher Sir John Newnes, who had a home hereabouts, built the Swiss-style Lynton Town Hall which is holding an exhibition named Tit-Bits after his famous (or infamous) magazine.

Watersmeet is the National Trust's glorious wooded valley with walks, tumbling waters and a tearoom in what was once a fishing lodge.

Lynmouth harbour memorial hall has a model of the village as it was before the tragic flood of 1952, and a display of memorabilia and photographs. You can also try your hand at brass rubbing in a hobbycraft centre, watch a model railway, take a boat trip from the harbour, and visit the Lyn and Exmoor Museum which boasts its own ghost!

On your journey across the moor you just might catch a glimpse of the elusive, legendary Beast of Exmoor. But that's one thing we can't promise you!