The river Lyn running through Lynmouth

Situated on the North Coast of Devon and within the unspoilt beauty of the Exmoor national Park’s landscape. Lynton and Lynmouth offer a perfect place from which to explore the moor. There are historic houses and gardens to visit, and you may catch a glimpse of wild Exmoor ponies and majestic red deer.

The villages became popular as a holiday destination due to the Napoleonic Wars, which denied Britons their usual continental destinations. They found the breathtaking cliffs and coastlines in this area perfect.

Lynton is at the top of a gorge, 500ft above Lynmouth, and the two towns are connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff railway. In the 19th century all goods needed by Lynton would be brought by sea to Lynmouth, from where they had to be carried up the steep hill by pack horse or horse-drawn carts.

Tourists began to arrive from the mid 1820s, arriving at Lynmouth by paddle steamer to face the daunting climb up to Lynton. They could hire donkeys or ponies or horse-drawn carriages to carry them up, but the climb was hard even for horses, whose working lives were short.

In December 1881 it was proposed to build a railway between Lynmouth and Lynton, and power it by water from the River Lyn. The water was put into containers built on rolling carriages, and these then used as counterweights to move carriages full of goods or people up and down the hill. When one 700gallon tank reaches the bottom it is emptied of water, while the tank at the top is filled, ready to start it’s journey downwards. Because of the length and steepness of the rail it had to be equipped with four separate braking systems, but there has never been an accident since its opening in 1890.

For anyone not wanting to use the railway there is a zig-zag path up the cliff which offers some wonderful views out across Lynmouth Bay, as does the railway itself.

At the top of the railway is the “Cliff Top Cafaurant” , which is licensed and serves hot and cold meals as well as drinks and ice cream all through the day. There are public car parks and toilets in both Lynmouth and Lynton. Dogs are allowed to travel on the railway, as long as they’re on a lead, but not on the open platform. Disabled access is available, but a telephone call in advance is advisable for further information. Tel: 01598 753908/753486

In Lynton you can see the Parish Church of St Mary, which overlooks the sea. It’s tower is mainly 13th century and houses two bells which are both 400 years old. The nave was rebuilt in 1741 and the church was again enlarged in Victorian times. Many of the surrounding shops and buildings were built in Victorian or Edwardian times.

The Lyn & Exmoor Museum is housed in Lynton’s oldest surviving domestic dwelling, a Grade 2, listed whitewashed stone cottage.There are seven rooms to the museum, plus a garden, and exhibits include old engravings and paintings showing Exmoor life over the last two centuries, plus a display relating to The Lynmouth Flood Disaster of 1952, models, relics and curios from the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, old agricultural implements from farms on Exmoor, a Victorian Doll’s house, local maritime relics, kitchen appliances and cooking paraphernalia, the story of the Louisa lifeboat rescue, Victorian bird and animal exhibits, minerals, fossils and rocks from Exmoor, and more.

There is a cinema in Lynton which seats just 68 persons, but the seats are comfortable, with plenty of legroom. It has full Dolby SR sound, air conditioning in summer and central heating in winter. There’s also full disabled access and a toilet. The cinema is situated in the centre of Lynton, next to the Town Hall. Parking is either road side or in the nearby Cross Street car park. Enquiries: 01598 753397

A beautifully converted church in Lee Road, Lynton, houses Lyn Arts and Crafts Centre, where over fifty local tradersoffer their work, which includes ceramics and pottery, jewellery, woodworking crafts and leather crafts, hand made soaps and many other creations of craft and artwork.

From the main street of Lynton, by the side of the town Hall, past the book exchange shop, there’s a footpath leading upwards which will take you to one of three places. The path leads up through woods and divides after a short distance. To the right the signpost says ” Hollerday House”, which was a great mansion once lived in by George Newnes, a publisher who loved Lynton and was a great benefactor of the town. He was one of those involved in having the railway built to carry people and goods up the 600ft cliff.

Unfortunately this great mansion mysteriously burned to the ground in 1913, but Hollerday Hill, the site of the house, offers wonderful views down into Lynton. Keeping to the footpath straight ahead brings you to another choice of directions. You may pass by an iron age fort, through a gate, upwards to the highest point and a magnificent view of the coast and down to the Valley of rocks, or take the fork to the left and walk downwards into the Valley of Rocks itself, where there is a herd of wild goats. The valley is also noted for its geology and its stunning views and runs parallel to the coast to the west of Lynton. There are two public car parks in the valley, adjacent to a tea room and the cricket club.

Opposite Lynmouth Harbour is the Flood Memorial Hall. On the evening of August 15, 1952 there was a cloudburst which, coming after a month of heavy rain, had devastating effects, with 34 lives lost and immense damage to buildings. Many of the buildings seen in Lynmouth today are reconstructions of those wrecked in the flood. Inside the hall there is a permanent free exhibition, which includes a scale model of the village as it was before the flood, with images of the buildings which were destroyed and how to identify their sites.

Another place to visit in Lynmouth is the Lyn Model Railway, which is on display in a building adjacent to Lynmouth Parish Church in Watersmeet Road. It is a large layout of London and North Eastern Railway, modelled in the 1935-40 period. Open from Easter Weekend – end of October

Boat trips are available from Lynmouth, and visitors can be taken out to sea by the Oxenham family, who have generations of experience of the Exmoor coast. This most beautiful part of Exmoor has the highest sea cliffs in England and you will see wooded river gorges and sheltered bays. You’ll hear stories of Lynmouth’s past and the famous Lynmouth Lifeboat. On the boat trip you can get within ten feet of the sea birds colonising the cliffs high above the sea. Enquire on Lynmouth Quay before 11am or try contacting Matthew on 01598 753207

For inland sightseeing, an open top bus service runs along the coast, negotiating some of the steepest hills in the country to provide wonderful views of coast and moorland. The service from Minehead to Lynmouth is an open topped bus running every 2 hours, seven days a week during the summer months and offers some of the finest coastal views in the country.

Another service links Lynmouth to Bampton, which is south of Exmoor. On two days a week during August and September, its route travels across Exmoor via Dulverton and passing many beauty spots on the way to Lynmouth.

From Lynmouth a walk along the side of the River Lyn will bring you to Glenlyn Gorge, which is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Here the water supplies a hydro-electric generator which produces electricity for the village of Lynmouth and you can have the opportunity to see water-driven engines and an exhibition of the power of water, as well as enjoying the beauty of waterfalls, tranquil pools, and the surounding woodland.

It’s also possible to tour the Lower Gorge and see the 1952 flood level, and a pleasant walk leads to Moses’ Pool, deep in the wooded gorge. You can sit by the peaceful river and pass by waterfalls which lead to an impressive ravine.

Watersmeet House is in Lynmouth. A former fishing lodge, it is used nowadays as an information centre, tea room and shop, owned by the National Trust. Here is the starting-off point for some 40 miles of woodland, streamside and seaside walks. The East Lyn River tumbles through the woodland, meeting Farley Water and this gives Watersmeet its name.There are a number of waterfalls and a series of rapids. Many bird species may be spotted here, including woodpeckers, pied flycatchers and redstarts.

One of the largest ancient woodlands remaining in the south-west, Watersmeet has many types of trees, including rare whitebeams. Ground flora includes bilberry, sweet woodruff and dog’s mercury, and there are many lichens and mosses. It’s one of only two sites in mainland Britain where the Irish spurge, Euphorbia Hybema, can be found. Red deer are occasionally seen away from the more populated places.

A pleasant walk downstream to Lynmouth, via Myrtlebury, or upstream to Hillsford Bridge, passes sparkling waterways which enjoy peace and quiet even when the year is at its busiest times. Dippers and birds of prey may be seen, with salmon and trout in the waters. In addition to walking, Watersmeet is popular with canoeist, and, obviously, with anglers.

Lynmouth and Lynton are an ideal base for walkers. Being on a heritage coast, they are part of Exmoor National Park, and hikers can follow the South West Coast Path to Minehead in the east and Combe Martin in the west. They will pass through heather covered moorland, past rocky coves that beg exploration.As a matter of interest, the novel Lorna Doone is set amidst this landscape.

An alternative route is the Two Moors Way, stretching between Lynmouth and Ivybridge in South Devon, and coinciding for part of its way through Exmoor with the Tarka Trail, which passes alongside rivers through Devon, following the path taken by Tarka the Otter in the book by Henry Williamson.

There is a choice of Beaches around Lynton & Lynmouth. Lynmouth Bay has a beach of shingle and rocks, close to car parks, toilets, and places to eat, with. deck chairs available for hire in the summer months. This beach is good for rock-pooling and for the use of experienced surfers.

Lee Bay is just to the west edge of Lynton and Lynmouth, past the Valley of Rocks. A 200m path leads gently down from the car park and public toilets to the beach. This beach is popular for bathing, but there can be some strong currents in the deeper water.

Sillery Sands has mixed sand and shingle and lies to the east of Lynmouth Bay. It can only be reached by a footpath leading from the South West Coast Path, or from the A39 on Countisbury Hill. There are no facilities here and the long, steep walk back up to the road makes it suitable for only very fit and able walkers, but it can be worth the walk for it’s seclusion and beautiful views.

Wringcliff Bay is another secluded beach which, being surrounded by high cliffs and accessible by a steep path from the Valley of Rocks, is not suitable for disabled visitors or young children.

In addition to these, within short traveling distance from Lynton & Lynmouth are some of the country’s top rated beaches, for instance, it’s just 13 miles to Combe Martin, which has many rockpools at low tide, containing many species of anemone, shellfish and fish.

23 miles away is Croyde, which faces almost due west, so that the swell and sand banks make it one of the UK’s best surf beaches. Slightly nearer, at 20miles, is Woolacombe, where a two and a quarter mile stretch of golden sand has sandy hills and the Woolacombe Downs as a backdrop. At the northern end of the beach is the village of Woolacombe, with plenty of seaside shops and cafes. This beach is perfect for families, sunbathing, or body boarding.

Is it any wonder that Lynton and Lynmouth became known by Victorians as “ The Switzerland of England”, and was described by the painter Gainsborough as “ the most delightful place for a landscape painter this country can boast”? These villages surely rank among the most beautiful places in Britain.