Tarka Trail

Based on Henry Williamson's classic novel Tarka the Otter, this superb circular trail traces part of the otter's journey through the Exmoor National Park and along the Exmoor and North Devon Heritage Coasts.

From Barnstaple, a centuries-old market town at the head of the Taw Estuary, the Tarka Trail meanders through the heather-covered hills, ancient oakwoods and secluded river valleys of Exmoor to reach the coast at Lynmouth, and then returns to Barnstaple along one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in the country. The beauty and variety of scenery is amazing. It ranges from rolling pastures, hedgerows, woodland, farms and villages of white cob and thatch to windswept heather moors, steep hillside meadows grazed by sheep, deep wooded valleys and clear-flowing rivers shaded by oak and alder to dramatic 'hogs back' cliffs, steep wooded combes, waterfalls plunging into the sea, lofty headlands, secluded coves and seemingly endless beaches of golden sand.

Highlights of the trail include the village of Landkey, famous for its Mazzard orchards; tranquillity of the moors; the charming villages of Lynton and Lynmouth linked by a water-powered cliff railway; the fantastic rock formations of the Valley of Rocks; the magnificent oakwoods of Woody Bay; the views from Great Hangman; the pretty thatched village of Croyde and its wonderful beach; the eerily beautiful dunes of Braunton Burrows; and the wildlife. Horned sheep, Exmoor ponies and red deer roam throughout Exmoor . Buzzard, kestrel, raven, curlew, skylark and lapwing inhabit the moor, dipper and heron frequent the rivers and the rugged cliffs along the coast support a wide variety of nesting seabirds including guillemot, razorbill and kittiwake