Walking on Exmoor and the Quantock Hills

Menu Home About the site News and updates Exmoor and the Quantocks Introduction to the walks ► The Exmoor coast: west ► The Exmoor coast: east ► Western Exmoor ► Central Exmoor: north ► Central Exmoor: south ► The Brendons to the coast ► Bampton and the lakes ► The Quantock Hills ► Further afield Useful links Index of places and themes GPX files About the author Madeira Contact

Western Exmoor This page covers the area to the west of Exford, including the high moorland around Simonsbath and the western fringes of inland Exmoor. The region includes archetypal Exmoor landscapes of rounded hills, open moorland and hill-streams gathering their strength. As well as classic moorland walks from places such as Malmsmead, Simonsbath and Exford it includes some lesser-visited areas on the fringes of the moor. Walks are not generally as strenuous as might be imagined – the area is all fairly high-up – but some routes include open moorland without well-defined paths, and the going can be hard particularly when the ground is waterlogged. Click the walk name to download the route. Read the walk safety information, and click for a key to the symbols used on the sketch maps in the instructions.  29 Malmsmead and Badgworthy ♦♦ 6.1 or 4.8 mile circular, moorland 30 Malmsmead, Great Tom’s Hill and Oare ♦♦ 7.8 mile circular, moorland 31 Brendon Common ♦♦ 6 or 4.1 mile circular, moorland 32 Around Parracombe ♦♦ 5.1 mile circular 33 Wistlandpound Reservoir and Bratton Fleming ♦♦ 8 mile circular 34 Whitefield Down ♦♦ 5.8 mile circular 35 Brayford and Hole Water ♦♦ 5.6 or 4.3 mile circular 36 Challacombe and the Long Stone ♦♦♦ 8.2 mile circular, moorland 37 Pinkery Pond and Moles Chamber ♦♦ 5.9 mile circular, moorland 38 Simonsbath, Pinkery Pond and Cornham Ford ♦♦♦/♦♦♦♦ 10, 6.7 or 4.2 mile circular, moorland 39 The upper Exe valley, Larkbarrow and Lanacombe ♦♦♦ 11 mile circular, moorland 40 Simonsbath to Lynmouth ♦♦♦ 9.8 mile linear, arrange connecting transport 41 Simonsbath and Cow Castle ♦♦ 6.8 or 7.8 mile circular 42 Simonsbath to Exford via Cow Castle and Withypool ♦♦♦ 9.3 mile linear, arrange transport or return on walk 43 43 Exford to Simonsbath via Larkbarrow ♦♦♦ 11.5 mile linear, moorland, arrange transport or return on walk 42 44 Exford and Withypool ♦♦ 8 mile circular 45 Withypool, Landacre Bridge and Porchester’s Post ♦♦♦ 8.2 mile circular, moorland 46 Landacre Bridge, Sherdon Water and Cow Castle ♦♦♦ 9.3 mile circular More walks from Exford in ‘Central Exmoor: north’, and from Withypool in ‘Central Exmoor: south’. All text, photographs and maps © Stan Lester 2023