Exmoor

An exquisite National Park of purple heather hills split by dramatically steep, deep river valleys and beech-hedged hill farms. Wild red deer roam wide moorland slopes with views to Wales and the peerless red-soil Vale of Porlock and descend to romantic valleys steeped in Lorna Doone legend. At night an 'International Dark Sky Reserve' of star-gazing heavens. And the coast is marvellous: oak-wooded cliffs and rushing, bouldered valleys to the sea, heather headlands with wheeling buzzards, rock towers, rock pool coves, little old harbours. Minehead has lots of sandcastling sand and resort fun.