Heddon Valley, North Devon

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In August we headed down to North Devon for a few days to stay with Clems grandad. On one of the days we decided to go for a walk on Exmoor in Heddon Valley.

The Heddon Valley, is a deep, lush wooded river valley or ‘combe’ running down to the sea. There are a couple of walks that you can do in the area and we decided to do this walk down to Heddon’s Mouth. Although we didn’t do it as a circle. We just stuck to one side of the walk (steps 1, 8, 7, 6 and 5) there and back.

Starting at The Hunter’s Inn you can walk through their gardens which are beautiful. Clem enjoyed climbing over the wood carvings which are really well designed and thought out. Keeping the River Heddon on your left, take the path through the woodland. There are several species of butterfly which you can try and spot. The walk is fairly easy although sometimes the ground can be a little uneven. We saw people of all ages and abilities along the way.

As you approach the wooden bridge make sure you cross the bridge otherwise you end up at a dead end halfway up a cliff! Vast stretches of heather light up the slopes in August and in early autumn the air is tinged with the smell of bright yellow gorse flowers. The cliffs along the valley are some of the highest in England. There is a view point above the beach with offers views of the North Devon coast.

A sheltered and rocky beach accessed along the deep Heddon Valley.

Once you reach the beach isn’t a typical sandy beach. It is pebbles and large boulders however it is worth it for the views. There is also a 19th century lime kiln at the beach. The weather wasn’t brilliant on the day we decided to do the walk. It rained a few times, however it was still an enjoyable walk to do.

Have you been to Exmoor before? Or are you planning on visiting soon? If you are then I can highly recommend this walk. There is also a longer one to Woody Bay if you are feeling more adventurous.

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