Exmoor National Park comprises 267 square miles, of which about two-thirds lie in west Somerset and the remaining third in north Devon. Its uniquely beautiful combination of moor and coast, woodland and valleys, hills and forest, and wildness and gentleness, makes it ideal for exploring on foot. The National Park's northern boundary is the Bristol Channel coast, stretching in a dramatic series of cliffs interrupted only by the Vale of Porlock, from North Hill above Minehead in the east to Little Hangman above Combe Martin in the west. This collection of walks ranges from the bare expanses of the Chains, the last real wilderness on Exmoor, to a picturesque riverside route along the Exe, from Badgworthy Water to a coastal walk taking in the spectacular Valley of Rocks.

Straddling the counties of Somerset and Devon, Exmoor measures approximately 21 miles west to east and 15 miles north to south. Exmoor may be one of the smallest National Parks but what it lacks in size it makes up for in beauty and contrast, affording walkers a diverse landscape to explore. Like its fictional heroine Lorna Doone, Exmoor is both wild and gentle. It's easy to see why author R D Blackmore chose it as the setting for his novel about a family of outlaws expelled from Scotland who came south and terrorised the locals. The scenery stirs the imagination, thanks to the coastline of stark cliffs lining the Bristol Channel, the wooded valleys, the tumbling streams and the wild, empty moors. This book provides the reader with thirty of the area's best walks. From short distance routes for those with young children to longer treks for experienced walkers, each one is detailed, and includes a basic sketch map and new colour photography.