Westermill Farm
Somerset
Riverside camping with campfires in a private valley at the heart of Exmoor
About Westermill Farm
Westermill sits at the end of a long private track in a secluded valley two miles from Exford, in as close to the geographical centre of Exmoor as makes no difference. The camping ground occupies around fifteen acres of mown meadow divided into four fields along the River Exe, with no marked pitches at all: you walk the fields, choose a spot you like and park the car beside your tent.
This is a 500-acre working hill farm rather than a holiday park, and the atmosphere is deliberately simple. Facilities are clean and adequate rather than lavish, with family shower rooms, a laundry and a large drying room, a washing-up area, spring drinking water and Calor gas exchange. There is no electric hook-up and no bar or restaurant, but real campfires are permitted in designated spots, which is a rarity in England and much of the reason people return year after year. The shallow river runs the length of the site for paddling and swimming.
Four waymarked walks of varying length start from the farmyard and climb into the surrounding hills, and the whole valley falls within the International Dark Sky Reserve, so the stargazing on a clear night is remarkable. Dogs and children are welcome, and the farm also runs self-catering cottages if the weather turns. Booking is strongly advised for bank holidays and school holidays, when the riverside fields fill first.