The moorlands of Great Britain have provided the inspiration and location for so much British literature from Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” to Daphne Du Maurier’s  “Jamaica Bay”. Exmoor is no exception. This rugged, wild land on the West Somerset/North Devon border with its rolling hills, deep valleys and air of mystery is essentially unchanged from the time Richard Dodderidge (RD) Blackmore used it as a setting for his novel “Lorna Doone.”

Set in the 17th century during the turbulent years of Monmouth’s rebellion, “Lorna Doone” (one of the best-selling romances of modern literature) is the story of John Ridd, his father murdered by the Doones, a clan living in the wilds of Exmoor (Badgewrothy in the story). Ridd falls in love with Lorna, after catching a glimpse of her, a primrose tucked in her hair.  After many twists and turns, including the revelation that Lorna is a wealthy heiress kidnapped by the Doones, the story concludes with Lorna being shot and injured by Carver Doone) who she was originally supposed to marry) at the altar of Oare Church, as she is about to wed John Ridd.

The mystery of the moors starts as you drive through narrow lanes that wind through the hedgerows, dense with growth. Soon you are climbing the sweeping hills to the highest point on Exmoor — Dunkery Beacon. From here on a clear day, you can see all the way to Wales over breathtaking English coastline with its towering cliffs, medieval harbors, and rolling ocean. This high ridgeway was once used by Stone Age flint traders to cross the open moors over the whortleberry grounds and soft mire.

Scattered over the gorse and heather-clad hills, strings of Exmoor ponies trek along a route worn bare by use; each closely follows in the footsteps of the leader. Red deer bounce over the soft grass; you might even catch a glimpse of a stag; meanwhile, hundreds of sheep graze freely as they have done for over 3,000 years. Overhead, buzzards patrol the skies, their needle-sharp talons ready to seize the unsuspecting vole or field mouse. During the Middle Ages, sheep farming and the wool trade dominated the economy in this part of England. In the ancient city of Dunster, the Old Yarn Market still sits in the middle of the High Street under the watchful eye of 11th century Dunster Castle.

But the scenery evoked by Blackmore is far from the town. It is in the deep valleys where there are no roads and where the moors are as they were hundreds of years ago. The thirteenth century Oare Church sits at the bottom of a steep wooden lane not far from Robber’s Bridge, where gloomy overhanging trees once provided cover for highwaymen and brigands. A few hundred feet down the road is Malmsmead with its ancient stone bridge and medieval ford as well as the Lorna Doone Farm. From here you can walk up the Doone Valley along the river bank and, if you are very ambitious, to Lank Combe and the ruins of Hoccombe where the Doones are believed to have lived.

Once reserved for the monarch as a hunting ground, Exmoor is now one of England’s treasured national parks with over 620 miles of footpaths and dramatic scenery to explore, unchanged since the time of Blackmoor and Lorna Doone.

IF YOU GO
Take the M5 exit at Bridgewater (exit 24) and that the A39 towards Lynton. After you reach Porlock, turn left on the unmarked road to Oare and Malmsmead. If you go from Lynton, one mile after Exmoor Sandpiper Inn, take a right at Brendon, cross the river, turn left and follow the unmarked road to Malmmead where you can park your car and hike into the Valley.

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