Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: exmoor ponies

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Exmoor Ponies

From the times of Woolly Mammoths and Sabre Tooth Tigres, ponies existed in the UK. Originally, ponies were well distributed across the land. However, around 10,000 years ago, environmental and other changes resulted in ponies moving to the hills and moors. People started to tame and domesticate them, introducing new bloodlines to their liking. However, Exmoor remained well off the beaten path until relatively recent times. This preserved their ancient lineage, hence reference to the Exmoor Pony as one of the oldest known breeds.

Numbers of Exmoor ponies dwindled to almost nothing around the time of the second world war. During this time, troops used Exmoor as a training ground. Stolen for their meat and ready target practice for soldiers, as few as 50 ponies survived the war. Following the war, a small group of breeders made efforts to preserve the population. Exmoor ponies increased in popularity, with small herds established in various parts of England, even exported to the US and Canada. Presently, although numbers have increased, they are given “endangered” status by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. This indicates estimated numbers at less than 500 in the UK.

It is always a special moment when you come across them on the moors. These photos were taken on the moors above Tarr Steps and on Bossington Hill which overlooks the Bristol Channel and is about five miles out of Minehead in Somerset. Bossington Hill offers a fantastic view down the South Somerset/North Devon coastline and is renowned for its sunsets.

A Day On Exmoor

Our customary day out to Lynton and Lynmouth via Porlock Hill. We were blessed with lovely sunshine and fluffy clouds and had a stunning clear view across The Bristol Channel and along the Somerset/Devon Coastline.

We used the funicular railway to get up to Lynton. The Cliff Railway opened in 1890 and is the highest and the steepest totally water powered railway in the world and is a must for and visitor. Before boarding we went in the Pavilion Cafe for a coffee which was very nice, the man serving on was very friendly to say the least!

On our way back to base we came across a herd of Exmoor ponies and got some lovely pics of them. In the evening we drove up the Moor Road above Minehead and experience an incredible sunset from the top of Bossington Hill.

What a way to end our holiday!

Porlock Hill

Sal, Porlock Hill

Porlock Hill

Clouds over The Bristol Channel

Porlock Hill

Lynmouth

Funicular Railway

Exmoor Ponies

Sunset from Bossington Hill

Exmoor Ponies

Sunset from Bossington Hill

Somerset Holiday - Porlock, Allerford, Lynmouth and Porlock Weir

The beauty of this holiday was that we could do a lot but not travel many miles to do it. This day was to be our longest travelling day with a total distance of about 50 miles. Our intention was to do Porlock and Porlock Weir and then head to Lynmouth in Devon.

Porlock was a nice little town but suffered from having the main A39 going through the centre of it. Consequently it was quite congested as it only took one lorry to try and get through to bring the whole place to a stand still. As you can see from the photos, the main street is quite narrow to start with and it wasn't much fun to say the least so we decided to move on. We abandoned trying to find Porlock Weir as we thought we were on the wrong road but said we would try to locate it on our way back from Lynmouth and also maybe have a late afternoon drink there. The day wasn't going too well but it certainly improved .

So the next port of call was Allerford, another place that Sal had visited on her childhood holidays. She had often shown me a photo of the family all stood on a pack horse bridge and she was intrigued to see if it was all still the same today. As it turned out, I don't think anything had changed over the years. It was one of those picture postcard villages with red brick houses which had all been immaculately maintained. Considering it was such a small place, it had a blacksmith, was home to The West Somerset Rural Life Museum and Victorian School and had a combined Post Office and Tearoom which, not surprisingly, we visited.

Tea for two was had along with a natter with the very chatty lady owner, many photos were also taken and then it was off on our merry way to Lynmouth with its neighbouring town Lynton. The view going down to Lynmouth was absolutely amazing as the road skirted the tops of the cliffs and, as it is a bay, we got a great view of them falling in to the sea. The first view we got of the cliffs and bay was by far the best view of the holiday.

Lynton stands on top of the cliffs directly above the picturesque harbour village of Lynmouth and both are connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. The funicular was opened in 1890 and is the highest and the steepest totally water powered railway in the world. The distance between the top and bottom stations is 500ft. Even though we were there in September, Lynmouth was still incredibly busy, so much so that we quickly boarded the railway and escaped to Lynton. The two towns are like chalk and cheese.

In comparison Lynton was quiet and also very quaint, with a lovely shopping area which looked as though it had seen very little change over the years. However, as our bellies were rumbling, shopping was put to one side and food was our main concern. When in Rome, you do what the Romans do so we headed for the nearest pasty shop. Whether it was a Cornish Pasty or a Devon Pasty I don't know or care but what I do know is, it was delicious. We sat in the sunshine and ate them in a small picnic area overlooking Lynmouth and the Bristol Channel, the view being almost as good as the pasty!

We then returned to Lynmouth via the funicular and had a bit of a wander about but the crowds were getting on our nerves so we decided to head back and find Porlock Weir. I forgot to mention earlier in the blog that the lady in The Post Office at Allerford had confirmed to us that we were indeed on the right road for Porlock Weir and we had given up our search too soon. I'm glad we had because it was nice and quiet when we eventually arrived and also very pretty. It's too small to call it a fishing village but there is a small harbour and marina, two pubs, a couple of shops and some fisherman's cottages. It was once a thriving port, locally exporting corn, flour, bark for tanning, bricks and oysters to Bristol but today it is mainly famous for it's oysters.We had a half each in The Ship Inn before reluctantly headed back to Watchet.

That night Sal stayed in for a chill and I had a walk down to the harbour where I encountered (and was dragged in to a conversation with) a rather strange local who was as drunk as a lord and out walking his dog in his bare feet! Why do I attract people like that??

As a bonus though I was treated to another fine sunset. A great end to a mighty fine day.