Wrapping up the best of west Somerset and North Devon's coast and hinterland, Exmoor is the least-visited UK national park, which is a travesty but a boon for those who do come. Because a certain magic hangs over its ponygrazed uplands, wooded combes, sea cliffs and untamed shores-one enhanced by Exmoor's human stories. Across the park you'll find prehistoric standing stones and burial mounds; the ghosts of medieval settlements and remnant churches such as tiny Culbone; the echoes of ardent visitors Wordsworth, Coleridge and Shelley; and even a 'holy mountain', Holdstone Down, a place of pilgrimage for UFO-spotters. While the latter's extra-terrestrial connections are moot, there's no denying Exmoor is a great spot to ponder the universe. With minimal light pollution lending it some of England's blackest nights, the park was made Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve in 2011.
The Exmoor Dark Skies Festival is held here in autumn, but stargazers can get their fill yearround at recommended observation sites, with telescopes available to hire from National Park Centres in Dulverton, Dunster and Lynmouth.
Where can I lace up my walking boots?
Esta historia es de la edición April 2025 de National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 2025 de National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
KARAKORAM CALLING
Pakistan's far north holds some of the world's highest peaks and has a proud cultural identity, but until now international visitors have been thin on the ground. A new hiking tour explores a spectacular corner of an often misunderstood country
AT A CROSSROADS
For two millennia, UNESCO City of Gastronomy Thessaloniki has been celebrated for its food culture, with flavours imported from across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
HO CHI MINH CITY
Fifty years since reunification, the fall of Saigon is a distant memory and microbreweries, cool cafes and Michelin-lauded restaurants are adding another dimension to the city's eclectic food scene
EXMOOR
THIS LESSER-VISITED NATIONAL PARK IN ENGLAND'S WEST COUNTRY IS A HAVEN FOR WALKERS, STARGAZERS AND LOVERS OF LITERATURE
Spring adventures
AN INNOVATIVE CULTURAL SPACE IN CENTRAL ASIA AND A PADDLING ROUTE THROUGH NEW YORK STATE ARE AMONG THIS MONTH'S NEW LAUNCHES
THE COTSWOLDS
The Cotswolds fulfils every picture of rural England you might care to conjure.
COASTING ALONG
Take a gently paced coastal road trip from Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese to Parga in Epirus to experience ancient sites, fishing villages and beaches lapped by the lonian Sea.
IN THE CLOUDS
The footpaths that link the isolated mountain settlements of Zagori offer some of the most spectacular hiking in the whole of Greece.
HISTORIC WONDERS
The mainland is full of architectural splendour, from millennia-old canals to coastal forts
Tricia Simon
THIS GRENADIAN ENTREPRENEUR HAS TURNED HER FAMILY'S SPICE ESTATE INTO A PLACE TO DISCOVER ISLAND HERITAGE, CULTURE AND FLAVOURS
