Twenty members of Southwell Ramblers enjoyed a tremendous week of walking in the Exmoor National Park in October 2025. We were favoured by good weather, a great hotel as a base and the variety of walks on offer. Exmoor is so close to the Bristol Channel that, besides rural and open moor walking, we were able to make use of the coastal path with great views across the Channel to South Wales. We also visited the spectacular Dunster Castle. To cap it all off we even saw a working steam train with white smoke billowing against the autumn colours of the trees. We spotted Exmoor wild ponies, possibly a pine martin and a nature reserve where beavers have been released into the wild.
Exmoor ponies at Dunkery Hill trig point
On our first day of walking one group walked back to our base after being dropped off at Culbone Hill. This necessitated a hairy drive up Porlock Hill, reputed to be the steepest A road in Britain. It was then downhill all the way back to our base at Holnicote House in Selworthy via Porlock Weir, West Porlock and Porlock. Meanwhile a second group completed a nine-mile circular route from Holnicote House to Bossington Hill, east along the Southwest Coast Path, turning towards Selworthy Beacon and returning via Selworthy village.
Selworthy Beacon trig point
On our second day we all went to the nearby Dunster Castle with a history going back over a 1000 years. One group spent the day exploring the grounds and park. The walkers all set off together splitting into two group at Gallox bridge, an old pack horse bridge. One group climbed the hill to two medieval settlements at Gallox Hill and Bat’s Castle before descending to Withycombe Hill Gate and on to Carhampton. Here we turned north up the England Coast Path heading in the direction of Minehead and eventually back to Dunster Castle.
Marshalls Bridge over the River Gallox at Dunster Castle
The other group completed a similar shorter circular walk omitting the climb to the medieval settlements, instead turning east to Carhampton where the walk continued along the coastal path to return to Dunster.
Withycombe Hill looking east towards the Bristol Channel and Weston Super Mare
On our third and final walking day one group completed a ten-mile circular route from Holnicote House to West Luccombe, Horner Hill and up on to Exmoor. The walk continued to ascend to Dunkery Beacon and then along the Macmillan Way. Meanwhile another group completed a five-mile circular near to Luccombe touching a corner of the Exmoor moors.
Emergency Training put to good use
All did not go according to plan though. On the first day as the group proceeded to return to our base along the coastal path the steep descent was too much for one member and the Coast Guard had to be called to rescue the unfortunate member. Accompanied by eight burly uniformed men, the member was helped back to the hotel and suffered no apparent injury or aftereffects. Then. on the last day one member slipped whilst crossing a fast-flowing stream and ended up on his back trapped by his rucksack. He was dragged out by the other members of the group and, although wet, suffered no injuries. Both these incidents allowed us to put into practice training that our walk leaders had had over recent months, and, as nobody was injured it gave us a laugh.
Despite this added excitement we all agreed that this trip was the best ever! Dave and Lynn Johnson