Walk the entire coastline of Exmoor National Park

Distance - 35 miles  Difficulty - Moderate

This walk takes in the entire coastline of Exmoor National Park, with its mix of quaint villages, moorland, rugged cliffs and dense coastal woodlands. There are some strenuous climbs as you make your way to Combe Martin, past the highest point on the Coast Path at Great Hangman. It’s fantastic all year round, although Autumn is a particular highlight when the vast swathes of heathland become a purple haze of heather and the wooded combes turn golden brown.

Highlights

All along this walk there are some fantastic views across the Bristol Channel to the Welsh coast and Lundy Island. The first day’s walk takes you to Selworthy Beacon with spectacular views over the moor and on to Hurlstone Point overlooking the magnificent Porlock Bay.

On day 2, the route takes you past Hollow Brook - one of the highest waterfalls in Britain which drops 200 metres to the sea. It then leads you to the twin villages of Lynmouth and Lynton, connected via a water powered cliff railway that’s been operating since 1890.

There are more rewarding views on day 3 after a steep climb to the highest point on the Coast Path at Great Hangman, which stands at 1043 feet. After a series of ascents and descents, you’ll feel a great sense of achievement when you reach Combe Martin.

Suggested Itinerary

  • Day 1: Minehead to Porlock Weir (9 miles)
  • Day 2: Porlock Weir to Lynmouth/ Lynton (12 miles)
  • Day 3: Lynmouth/ Lynton to Combe Martin (14 miles)

Relevant section guides

We have split the path into 52 sections, and for each one have produced a section guide. These pages do not aim to replace the guidebooks, but aim to give a flavour of what each section is like, and show you about the highlights and places of interest along the route, along with links to accommodation information and much more. The relevant section guides for this walk are:

Travel

Minehead can be reached by regular bus services from Taunton (nearest mainline rail station) or to arrive in style catch one of the steam trains running on the West Somerset Railway from Bishop Lydeard (close to Taunton). The 39 service runs every 1-2 hours between Minehead, Porlock and Porlock. You can return to Minehead from Combe Martin, by catching the 300 bus that also stops at Lynmouth and Porlock.

For further details visit Traveline or phone 0870 6082608.

Short breaks

Accommodation Finder