The surrounding beauty lends itself to outdoor activities.

Walking for all abilities along well loved routes:

• Coleridge Way
• South West Coast Path
• Two Moors Way
• National Trust walks

There are many local walks from Millslade. For timings and distance, if you want to return before nightfall, ask Simon!

Horse riding on the moor and in the river valleys is available for all abilities. Charlie and Chris at Brendon Manor are just up the road and are most accommodating - see their website at www.brendonmanor.com. ‘Horse B&B’ is available with them whilst we cater for their owners. We are fortunate to have a number of other riding stables close by so there is a wide range of options and we would be happy to discuss your needs with you.

If you prefer cycling to trekking, try Caffyns Farm cycle hire: www.exmoorcoastholidays.co.uk. For the seriously competitive there is the Exmoor Beast Cycle Challenge in October www.exmoorbeast.org

North Devon Beaches both rugged and near to Millslade as well as sandy at 40 minutes distance. For rugged and the brave at heart, visit: www.thebeachguide.co.uk/south-west-england/devon/lynton-town Our friend, Ann, a cold water swimmer (amongst other adventurous pursuits!) has contributed what follows, our grateful thanks to her. Tides There are many lovely beaches to visit on the North Devon and Somerset coasts. However, the critical point to remember is that this stretch of water has the second largest tides in the world! The Bristol Channel tides are only surpassed by the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. This is because of the shape of the channel which funnels the water, the further east you go the larger the tides. We can get up to 11m of tide at full and new moon (spring tide) and average about 8m in between at half moons (Neaps). this simply means that the beaches are very different at high and low water and some don't exit at all at high tide, when there is also a danger of being cut off. It is really important to look up high and low water times. Ilfracombe is our reference port (there are only a few minutes of variation to the beaches east and west).

Beaches from East to West Dunster beach - easy parking, and good for high tide swimming, sandy, flat, not particularly interesting but a couple of miles long and tends to be fairly quiet. Minehead - sandy, very shallow - enormous expanse of sand at low tide. Can be very busy in summer. Generally safe and good for children but only swim between flags, there can be rips. Porlock/Bossington - lovely shingle-ridged beach for walking. Not for swimming - dangerous undertow. Can swim from Porlock Weir but not particularly enticing. Glenthorne Cliffs - if you don't mind a very long, steep climb back up to County Gate carpark this long expanse of smooth rocky beach backed by high wooded cliffs will be all yours. Be very aware of tides as you will be on your own and unlikely to get a mobile signal. Lynmouth - this is best at higher tides and swimming is good from Blacksands Beach - furthest from the harbour. Don't be tempted to head out to Silvery Sands. The coast path down to this beach has collapsed and it is inaccessible - you can scramble round at very low tides but you are likely to be cut off and have a four or five hour wait to get back! The West side of Lynmouth harbour has a long point break. It doesn't work very often but when it does it attracts a lot of experienced surfers for the long ride (definitely not for beginners, very sharp rocks below!). Lee Bay - drive through Lynton, past Lee Abbey and the toll and park in the car park field on the left. Very pretty little bay surrounded by wooded cliffs which opens up to a big triangle of sand at low Spring tides. Swimming here is best for an hour either side of low tide or at high tide and you can get into theatre from the smooth dry rocks at the top . At mid tide you have to slither over slippery rocks which isn't recommended. When there is a bit of surf it is a good place for body boarding. Storms have now sadly made Wringcliff and Sillery Sands inaccessible. For sand and surfing, our favourites are Croyde www.croydesurfacademy.com and Saunton Sands walking-on-waves.com

For those who are looking for water adventure, you may want to try coasteering or kayaking, an exhilarating way to see the beautiful, rugged North Devon coast. Contact Exmoor Adventure at www.exmooradventure.co.uk to find details about these activities and many others, including rock and tree climbing.

Fishing, boat trips and diving are also available from Ilfracombe.

Nature and moor!

Exmoor provides some of the most beautiful flora and fauna in the country. We love September, October and November when the red deer rut is in full flow, but there is so much to see all year round. Exmoor National Park was designated the first International Dark Sky Reserve in Europe. For details of organised star gazing events, you can visit: www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/enjoying/stargazing

Exmoor National Parks events calendar

An excellent source of current information about Exmoor’s wildlife, landscape, history, culture, towns and villages, moorland, trees, woodland, farmland, coast rivers, streams and marsh.
http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/