Your monthly update from our very special Exmoor National Park

Walking amongst the deer

Whether you’re ‘leaf peeping’ in an Autumn glow that gives new England a run for its money or scanning the horizon for Exmoor red deer, this is magical time of year on Exmoor.

After a summer feed and an early harvest, the stags have been ‘in rut’ and are keen to bag themselves a mate. You may catch them proudly showing off their physical superiority and attempting to round up the hinds up until mid-November, whilst loudly trying to keep other stags away. Their great roaring noise or ‘bolving’ can be sometimes be heard across Exmoor, as the stags challenge and counterchallenge.

It’s a sound that might drift across your path as you enjoy one of the many fabulous ‘Classic Walks’ that Exmoor has to offer, taking in picturesque woodlands, tumbling streams and idyllic valleys. Keen hikers and deer spotters can find everything they need about the landscape from free route downloads and helpful video guides online at exmoorwalks.org.

All are welcome to walk on Exmoor

For spectacular tree canopy colour and sweeping vistas across deep wooded coombes, the Countisbury and Brendon route is a real winner. It follows the Coleridge Way along the East Lyn River towards Lynmouth before returning to County Gate, wending along the South West Coast Path and the unique landscape of Exmoor’s coastal woodlands. Exmoor National Park Authority has launched their Exmoor Strolls collection, a welcome addition to the array of ‘Classic Walks’ available on Exmoor and part of ENPA’s commitment to widening access to nature. These step and stile free strolls aim to make the iconic landscapes of Exmoor more accessible to visitors of all ages and abilities, while showcasing the special qualities of Exmoor. The Exmoor Strolls collection offers a series of 15 routes across 12 locations within the National Park and are graded using the ‘Miles without Stiles’ classifications, with many paths suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Farming through the seasons

The harvest might be in and the days getting shorter, but work with our farmers, landowners and land managers continues across the National Park this season. The ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’ (FIPL) programme supports projects that aid everything from nature recovery to sustainable farm businesses, even conservation of historic features on farms such as lime kilns or examples of mining heritage. The FIPL programme has now been extended for applications that can be delivered by March 2025 so if you are a landowner with a project idea that might be eligible please email conservation@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk or visit exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk. Up to 22 hectares of meadow have been restored across Exmoor by the FIPL programme with local schoolchildren and community groups getting on board too. Last year they helped to harvest up to 110kg of seed from 3.5 hectares of established meadow. Our own conservation team have been working hard again this year harvesting wildflower seed and we now have a healthy supply of ‘Cat's Ear’, ‘Yellow rattle’ and ‘Yarrowmint’ gently drying away, ready to hand out to new growers in the area so they can start their own patches. ENPA also plans to set up a wildflower nursery to grow more plants and share knowledge about the importance of these habitats. This all helps to give biodiversity in our meadow grass a kick start whilst also encouraging pollinators. Lest we forget, no more pollinators equals no more people.

Did you know…?

Since 2021 Exmoor National Park has helped fund:

3445 metres of hedgerow planting.

639m of stone wall restoration and 354 hectares of habitat improvement for biodiversity

Overall ENPA has supported 73 projects with an average grant award of £12,000 each.