Exmoor National Park

Exmoor covers about seven hundred square kilometres of heather moor, grass moor and steep wooded valleys, ending on the north side in some of the highest sea cliffs in England, where the moor drops directly into the Bristol Channel. It holds the largest wild red deer population in England, several thousand animals, hunted and managed continuously since the medieval period, and the Exmoor pony, a hardy native breed running semi-feral on the commons. In 2011 it became Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve, with skies dark enough to see the Milky Way clearly and star counts among the best in England. Lorna Doone, published in 1869, was set here and drove Victorian tourism. The Tarka Trail and the South West Coast Path both run through, and Porlock Hill is one of the steepest public roads in the country.

What you actually see

• The red deer rut - stags roaring and clashing through September and October.
• The Exmoor ponies - a semi-feral native breed on the open commons.
• The sea cliffs - moorland dropping directly into the Bristol Channel.
• The dark skies - Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve.

When to go

May to October for walking, with August and September best for heather; September and October for the deer rut. Winter nights are longest and clearest for stargazing, which is a genuine reason to come off-season.

Honest expectations

Exmoor weather is wet and the moor is exposed with fog common. Roads are narrow with high banks and Porlock Hill in particular defeats underpowered vehicles. Deer are wild and should not be approached during the rut. Public transport is thin.

Nearby

Dunster and Minehead lie east; Lynton, Lynmouth and the Valley of Rocks are on the northern coast.