Summer on Exmoor

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One of the pleasures of summer in Lynton and Lynmouth is that something always seems to be happening.

The Lyn Valley Classic is one of the highlights, bringing an extraordinary collection of classic and vintage cars, motorcycles and other special vehicles into the twin villages. We know first-hand just how addictive the event can become. Some Highcliffe regulars return year after year specifically for the Classic, building their stay around it. That, to us, says rather a lot about both the event and the place.

July brings the wonderfully imaginative Lynton & Lynmouth Scarecrow Festival, with colourful creations appearing around the villages and plenty of local humour along the way.

Summer is also a great time to discover local makers and producers. Pop-up stalls appear around Lynton and Lynmouth, while the monthly Lyn Valley Market at Lynton Town Hall brings together local produce, crafts and independent traders.

And then there are those less predictable summer moments. You may wander into Lynton for dinner and hear live music drifting from a café or bar. There might be an outdoor cinema screening, a community celebration or an impromptu performance that gives you every excuse to stay out just a little longer. Those unexpected evenings are often the ones you remember.

And because Highcliffe is within walking distance, there is no designated driver to nominate and no complicated journey home. Enjoy the evening and wander back when you are ready.

Summer theatre takes on a rather different meaning when the stage is surrounded by one of Exmoor’s most extraordinary landscapes.

Open-air theatre in the Valley of Rocks has become part of the local summer experience, with performances staged beneath enormous skies and against the dramatic cliffs of the North Devon coast.

Spend the afternoon exploring the Valley of Rocks, perhaps spot some of its famous resident goats, stay for an evening performance and then return to Highcliffe afterwards for a peaceful night’s sleep.

It is exactly the sort of experience that makes summer on Exmoor feel different from summer almost anywhere else.

You absolutely can explore Exmoor without spending every day behind the wheel.

In summer, the 300 service – often known as the Exmoor Coaster or Explorer – is one of our favourite ways to see more of Exmoor without driving.

From Lynmouth, the route takes you through spectacular coastal and moorland scenery towards Countisbury, Porlock and Minehead, with open-top buses usually operating on part of the route during the summer season. When the open-top vehicle is running, grab a seat upstairs. Then sit back.

The coastline, wooded valleys, open moorland and huge views across Exmoor and the Bristol Channel unfold around you, and the scenery is worth seeing in both directions. Part of the pleasure is letting somebody else concentrate on the Exmoor roads while you simply enjoy the view.

Staying at Highcliffe makes it particularly easy. Leave the car parked free with us, use the local bus stops just below the house and turn the journey itself into part of your day out. Sometimes leaving the car behind is the best way to see more.

Of course, some of the best ways to discover Exmoor require no transport at all.

The long summer days are perfect for walking.

From Lynton you can head towards the spectacular Valley of Rocks, join the South West Coast Path or descend towards Lynmouth.

From Lynmouth, follow the East Lyn River through its wooded valley towards Watersmeet, one of Exmoor’s classic walks.

Summer gives you time.

Stop beside the river. Take photographs. Find somewhere for lunch. Look out for the famous Valley of Rocks goats. Walk a little further simply because the evening is still hours away.

Later in summer, the landscape changes again as purple heather adds great sweeps of colour across parts of Exmoor.

Then, after a day on the trails, return to Highcliffe, take off the walking boots, put your feet up and decide whether the terrace is calling. It usually is.

Not every great summer day needs a grand itinerary. Sometimes all you need is Lynmouth.

Walk from Highcliffe into Lynton and take the historic Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway down the steep wooded hillside to the harbour below. Wander beside the water, browse the independent shops, watch the world go by or challenge each other to a round at Hole-in-1 beside the seafront.

Then comes one of Britain’s great seaside traditions: Fish and chips by the water. Find a spot overlooking Lynmouth harbour, open them while piping hot, and enjoy-just keep an eye on the local seagulls!

They have never shown much respect for the concept of personal ownership where chips are concerned. When you are ready, take the railway back up to Lynton and stroll home to Highcliffe. And sometimes those are the best summer days of all.

There are also some summer experiences worth checking the calendar for.

If you are staying with us in June, see whether your visit coincides with a North Devon sailing by the famous Waverley paddle steamer.

This iconic historic vessel visits the North Devon coast as part of its Bristol Channel programme from time to time, offering a completely different perspective on the cliffs, headlands and stretch of sea that we look out over from Highcliffe every day.

There is something rather satisfying about spending a day cruising the coastline and then returning to a bedroom overlooking that very same stretch of water.

For something altogether different, make a full day of a boat trip to Lundy Island.

Sailings from the North Devon coast take you out into the Bristol Channel to one of the region’s most distinctive destinations.

Lundy offers wildlife, walking, dramatic scenery and that wonderful feeling of having travelled somewhere completely removed from everyday life.

It is a bigger day out.

Which makes returning to Highcliffe, putting your feet up and looking back out across the Bristol Channel afterwards rather appealing.

There are certain traditions we believe should be taken very seriously. A Devon cream tea is one of them.

Fresh scones, strawberry jam and generous Devon clotted cream are such an important part of life here that there is even a National Cream Tea Day devoted to celebrating them.

And because we are in Devon: Cream first. No further argument required. We are always happy to tell guests where we think they should go for a really good one.

That is part of a wider Highcliffe tradition too.

We share our own curated personal recommendations for restaurants, cafés, walks, local events, great cream teas and those little places that we genuinely enjoy ourselves.

Not simply a pile of leaflets. We want you to discover the Exmoor and North Devon we know and love – including those places you might never have found without somebody pointing you in the right direction.

By midsummer, the days seem wonderfully reluctant to end.

The Highcliffe gardens are in full colour and the terrace really comes into its own.

After a day walking, exploring, cruising the coast or simply wandering around Lynton and Lynmouth, settle into a chair and watch the evening light change across the Bristol Channel.

And we like what is in your glass to have a sense of place too. Our bar champions local gins, beers and ciders from Exmoor and North Devon, so you can enjoy something refreshing produced in the very area you have spent the day exploring. There is something rather special about that.

A locally produced gin, beer or cider on a warm summer evening, the sea stretching away in front of you and the knowledge that what you are drinking was made not far from where you are sitting. Sometimes summer should be busy. And sometimes the best decision you can make is not to go anywhere at all.

Then there are the mornings. From our sea-view bedrooms, the sunrise over Countisbury Hill and across the Bristol Channel can be extraordinary. On the right morning, the colours change by the minute and the entire landscape seems to glow. Some of our favourite photographs of those sunrises have not been taken by us at all.

They have been taken by Highcliffe guests who happened to open their curtains at exactly the right moment. We love that. Highcliffe through our guests’ eyes.

And after watching the sun come up, breakfast is waiting downstairs. A proper Highcliffe breakfast, that panoramic Bristol Channel view and another long summer day stretching out ahead. Well rested. Well fed. And summer waiting on the doorstep.

Summer is also when Highcliffe feels wonderfully international. Guests arrive from across Britain and around the world, bringing different accents, cultures, journeys and stories through our front door. Some are discovering Exmoor and North Devon for the first time. Others are familiar faces returning to favourite walks, favourite restaurants or annual events such as the Lyn Valley Classic.

And over breakfast, those worlds often meet.

People compare travel stories, swap recommendations and tell us what they discovered the previous day. We point somebody towards a favourite walk, suggest somewhere for dinner or send them off in search of a little place we think they will enjoy. Then they return later and tell us how they got on. For us, that is hospitality. It is one of the reasons we often say:

The World Stays Here.

Because a summer break on Exmoor can be whatever you want it to be.

Walk to Watersmeet. Explore the Valley of Rocks. Follow the South West Coast Path. Ride upstairs on the open-top Exmoor bus and watch the scenery unfold.

Take the Cliff Railway down to Lynmouth. Play Hole-in-1. Eat fish and chips beside the harbour – while defending them from the seagulls.

Watch live theatre beneath the cliffs. Browse the Lyn Valley Market. Discover a summer festival, outdoor cinema or unexpected live music.

Cruise aboard the Waverley. Spend a day on Lundy. Find a proper Devon cream tea. Or do absolutely none of it.

Come back to Highcliffe, settle on the terrace and enjoy a locally produced Exmoor gin, beer or cider. Walk into Lynton for dinner. Wander home afterwards and sleep well.

Then wake to the sea, enjoy breakfast overlooking the Bristol Channel and start all over again.

A restful night. A freshly prepared breakfast. Free on-site parking. Local buses just below us. Restaurants within walking distance. Lynton and Lynmouth within easy reach. Exmoor National Park on the doorstep.

Highcliffe makes summer on Exmoor wonderfully easy – and gives you somewhere rather special to come home to at the end of every day.