Hotels in Exmoor

Choosing where to sleep on Exmoor matters more than in most places, because the roads are slow. A base that looks central on the map can still mean an hour of single-track lanes to reach the coast, so it pays to decide early whether you are here for the sea cliffs, the open moor or the wooded river valleys.

If this is a first visit, Dunster is hard to beat. The village is small enough to walk end to end in ten minutes, has a castle, a watermill, several good places to eat and a National Park Centre, and puts you within twenty minutes of both the coast at Minehead and the high moor at Dunkery. Accommodation there runs from historic coaching inns to family-run guest houses, and prices sit in the middle of the range.

Lynton and Lynmouth are the obvious choice for walkers. The South West Coast Path runs through both, the Two Moors Way starts at Lynmouth harbour, and the Valley of Rocks is a half-hour stroll away. Lynton, up on the cliff, tends to have the better views and the quieter nights; Lynmouth, down at the harbour, has more pubs and the sound of two rivers. Several of the finest small B&Bs in the national park are here, and a number are adults-only.

Stay at Exford, Winsford or Simonsbath and you wake up surrounded by moorland. These are villages of a few dozen houses with a thatched inn at the centre, riding stables nearby and footpaths leaving from the door. They suit riders, walkers and anyone who wants dark skies without driving to find them, but they are a long way from a supermarket.

Dulverton, on the southern edge, works well in winter and for anyone who wants shops and restaurants within walking distance. Porlock and the Holnicote hamlets sit between moor and marsh and are the quietest of the coastal options. Whatever you choose, book early for half-term, August and the autumn deer rut, and confirm parking, because many older properties in these villages have very little of it.