Framedlight

On our last day in Somerset we thought we would climb Dunkery Beacon. At the massive height of 519m, it is an easy walk along a broad path. There were a number of families doing the same thing and we passed Exmoor ponies on the way down. We ended the day at Wimbleball Reservoir at the far eastern area of Exmoor, before driving to our night stop next to the canal by Tiverton. it was the end of our Somerset holiday and I had a wedding to photograph the next day.

Porlock really is the gateway to Exmoor, even if you have to negotiate the tortuous Porlock Hill, at 25% reputedly one of the the steepest roads in England. All the more amazing that it carries the main A39 which runs from Bristol down to Falmouth. Alan naturally had to cycle it and we did take the camper van up it, although there is a tollroad which, for a small fee, allows an easier passage. When we got up to Exmoor it was misty and the shapes of trees loomed out at us from the side of the road. One of the places we visited was the Tarr Steps near Dulverton, an ancient clapper bridge over the River Barle, which may have been first built in the Bronze Age. The bridge was swept away in the floods of 2013 and has been rebuilt. It lies in some very pretty wooded countryside with plenty of walks. But having struggled down from the carpark with ancient dog Hettie we felt it would be cruel to subject her to more exercise. We did however have a woodland walk to see ...