Barle Valley

Exmoor is a unique landscape, in world as well as British terms – as well as often meltingly pretty. Highish and flattish grass and heather (and bracken) moorland is riven with deep wooded valleys. 

The Barle valley roughly divides Exmoor, running north to south from Simonsbath to Dulverton and on into the lowlands. It is consistently one of Exmoor’s most beautiful places, and surely one of Britain’s prettiest rivers.

Between Simonsbath and Withypool is a most beautiful and charming stretch of landscape, as its active stream meanders its way along its narrowish and in places wild valley, through meadows below often heathery hillsides. The path winds along the hillsides just above the valley floor, before climbing to some high, open moorland with huge skies, then descending a ravishing ridge, through classic little Exmoor fields, to the middle of Withypool. Pass below the steep hill which still shows the remains of the ancient Cow Castle settlement.

The ravishing valley below Withypool, which laughs its way through beautiful mixed woods and meadows, past the famous prehistoric Tarr Steps, where it crosses the river to climb and traverse to Hawkridge, whence it drops along a lovely ridge back to the river and wends its way down, eventually, to Dulverton. A gorgeous but (the first half, particularly) well-known walk, so you won't be alone.

These are both stretches of the Two Moors Way, down as far as Hawkridge.

You can easily construct exciting circuits taking in stretches of the valley and also the open farmland above.

This is time well spent.

For detailed practical information and photos, see our EXMOOR page.