New plans seeks to improve Exmoor walking and cycling routes

Large sections of the Exmoor National Park (which straddles the Devon-Somerset border) are covered by public rights of way, permissive paths and bridleways, encouraging people to explore the extraordinary landscape without using a car.

But getting around the national park is challenging without a car – with limited public transport (especially outside of the summer tourist season), no mainline railway services within easy reach and taxis often proving prohibitively expensive.

The Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA) has now published its new active travel plan, laying out a series of potential improvements to the park’s walking and cycling networks to encourage more people to visit and get around without motorised transport.

Councillor Andrea Davis, chair of the ENPA, said: “Walking, cycling and horse-riding provide the best opportunities to explore and travel in our wonderful national park and provide health benefits too.

“Our network of paths provide access to nature and to our beautiful landscape for everyone who loves Exmoor, and this in turn supports a large part of our economy through visitor spending.

“To meet its full potential, our network needs to develop and change, to help our local communities enjoy a wider variety of travel options and to allow a wider range of people to enjoy Exmoor.

“This plan sets out to identify those opportunities and steer further work and investment in the future.”

The national park includes more than 1,000 km (621 miles) of public rights of way, including a lengthy section of the South West Coast Path (which forms part of the wider King Charles III England Coast Path).

It also includes two routes on the National Cycle Network – namely route 3 (which skirts the southern edge of the park through Dulverton) and route 51, which runs from Minehead to Ilfracombe via Selworthy, Allerford, Porlock, Lynton and Combe Martin.

The 2021 Exmoor National Park visitor survey identified that 65 per cent of visitors to the park enjoyed a short walk as part of their say, with 60 per cent enjoying a long walk of two hours or more.

However, Exmoor’s limited transport infrastructure leaves people reliant on cars to cover long distances, with transport accounting for 35 per cent of the national park’s combined carbon footprint.

The plan has a total of 11 broad aims – namely:

Improving existed promoted trails both within the national park and on its fringes – including the Coleridge Way and the Exe Valley Trail

Making the existing public rights of way network more accessible, with popular tourist destinations (such as the Tarr Steps) being prioritised

Extending the network for cycling and horse-riding, with ‘quick wins’ being implemented using government funding where available

Maintaining the current rights of way network to a high standard, with maintenance programmes being ideally scaled up to “avoid a deterioration in its usability”

Supporting active travel infrastructure in larger settlements, including Dunster and Porlock, in partnership with councils’ highways teams

Creating and promoting new “family-friendly multi-use trails”, including a section from Minehead to Porlock and an enhanced circular route around Wimbleball Lake

Enhancing local links between communities to reduce a reliance on car ownership, including links between Minehead and the surrounding villages

Creating and promoting “safe and suitable” routes into the national park, including the completion of the Steam Coast Trail between Williton and Minehead (via Watchet, Blue Anchor and Dunster)

Addressing main road “severance”, making it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to use key sections of major routes (such as the A39 near Porlock)

Ensuring pedestrians and cyclists feel safe on minor roads, supporting councils to deliver small improvement schemes (such as lower speed limits)

Ensuring a consistent and welcoming message to promote active travel across Exmoor, including at tourist information centres at towns on the edge of the national park

ENPA access and recreation manager Dan Barnett said: “We had an online consultation running over several months, where Exmoor residents and visitors shared their ideas and suggestions.

“We have also looked at data, evidence and national guidance to develop a plan for Exmoor, which is the basis for seeking funding to deliver better active travel infrastructure.

“We want to break down the barriers to active travel and ensure people have better leisure routes and more opportunity to travel without a car.

“This might include improving path links within villages, providing a road crossing to make it safer for walkers or horse riders, or a building a new cycle route suitable for families or less confident cyclists.”

To view the full active travel plan, visit www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk.

Achieving any of the short-listed improvements will require third party funding, whether in the form of central government grants (distributed via Active Travel England), contributions from housing developers or donations from non-profit organisations.

Mr Barnett said the plan provided a solid platform from which future funding could be secured, with many of the major projects likely to be delivered in phases over several years as grants became available.

He said: “We have worked closely with the active travel teams from Somerset Council and Devon County Council, along with other key stakeholders on this project.

“This plan is there for everyone to make use of, including local community groups and our parish and town councils.

“Active travel is usually used for short trips, such as walking to the shops, cycling to work, or scooting to a local park.

“Many of the journeys we make by car are under five miles, so there is a big potential to swap the car for a more active option.”