Winter on Exmoor

November to March – while Exmoor carries on, Highcliffe takes a well-earned rest

Winter brings the curtain down on our Highcliffe season – but certainly not on Exmoor, Lynton and Lynmouth.

From November until the end of March, Highcliffe House closes to staying guests while we take our annual winter break. Exmoor National Park and the North Devon coast, however, carry on around us.

Some restaurants, cafés and hospitality businesses take a well-earned rest of their own or move to shorter winter hours, but there is still life in the towns and villages, across the moor and along the coast.

Wrap up properly and you will still meet walkers heading onto Exmoor, following stretches of the South West Coast Path, exploring the Valley of Rocks or striding through Lynmouth with rather more layers on than they needed in July.

Winter walking on Exmoor has an atmosphere all of its own – quieter paths, dramatic skies, open landscapes and the North Devon coast at its wildest. And then there are the surfers. Winter certainly does not deter them.

North Devon is renowned for surfing, and experienced surfers continue to chase the winter swells along this spectacular coastline. Woolacombe, Croyde and Saunton are among its best-known surfing beaches, while closer to home you may also see surfers taking to the water around Lynmouth when conditions are right.

There is something rather exhilarating about watching people determined to enjoy the sea whatever the temperature.

We admire them enormously. Preferably from somewhere warm.

While Highcliffe Rests - November to March

For us, winter is when Highcliffe House, our five-star adults-only B&B in Lynton, takes a well-earned rest.

After seven busy months welcoming guests from Britain and around the world, we pack the cases and head off on our own travels. We recharge. We discover new places. We gather ideas. And, yes, we make a reasonably determined effort to work on the tan.

Highcliffe, however, is very much looked after while we are away.

We are fortunate to have no shortage of wonderful friends who come and stay, keep a watchful eye on our Victorian grand dame and keep the coal fires burning…

Well, the radiators at least.

She is far too important to us to be left entirely to her own devices, and knowing that Highcliffe is warm, occupied and well cared for means we can enjoy our winter adventures with an easy mind.

Travel has always been an important part of our lives too. Some of the artwork, objects, ideas and little touches guests discover around Highcliffe have their origins in places we have visited during these winter months.

So although we may be away, Highcliffe never really stands still. By the time spring approaches, we are ready to come home, refresh the house, put our latest ideas into action and open the doors for another Exmoor season.

Planning Your Next Exmoor Break - Book Ahead for Spring, Summer & Autumn

While Highcliffe itself may be resting, our website becomes a very busy place during winter.

November through March is an ideal time to plan your next stay on Exmoor and the North Devon coast, and direct bookings continue to arrive throughout our closed season.

Our regular guests are often well ahead of the curve. They know their favourite room. They know roughly when they want to return. And quite sensibly, they get there first. Some of our most sought-after rooms can be booked many months ahead, particularly for popular dates.

There is Myrtleberry, with its private balcony and wonderful sea view, and Summerhouse, one of our most popular rooms. Other returning guests have their own favourites too, including The Cleaves and Kipscombe.

Perhaps it is the balcony. Perhaps the view. Perhaps it is simply the room that has somehow become your Highcliffe room.

Whatever the reason, there is no need to wait until we reopen to reserve it. Our website remains open even when we are not.

So whether you are planning a spring break on Exmoor, a summer stay in Lynton and Lynmouth or an atmospheric autumn escape to North Devon, you can check availability, choose your room and book Highcliffe directly throughout the winter.

Something rather lovely to have waiting in the diary.

Give Highcliffe - Christmas Gift Vouchers

Winter also brings Christmas, and sometimes the best present is not another thing to unwrap. It is something wonderful to look forward to.

A Highcliffe House gift voucher can become a spring escape to Exmoor, a summer stay overlooking the Bristol Channel or an atmospheric autumn break beneath Exmoor’s changing skies.

For Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries or special occasions, a Highcliffe voucher is a gift of time away together — an adults-only escape to Lynton, Lynmouth and Exmoor National Park.

A restful night.

Breakfast with that extraordinary view. The North Devon coast and Exmoor waiting outside. And something in the diary to look forward to long after Christmas is over.

Give them spring. Give them summer by the sea. Give them autumn on Exmoor. Give them Highcliffe.

And Then Spring Returns...

While we are away recharging, Exmoor moves quietly through winter.

The walkers keep walking. The surfers keep surfing. Lynton and Lynmouth carry on. Our friends keep our Victorian grand dame warm. Our regulars secure their favourite rooms. New guests discover Highcliffe online and begin planning their first stay.

Gift vouchers find their way beneath Christmas trees. And somewhere considerably warmer, we begin thinking about the season ahead. Before long, the days lengthen. The first signs of spring appear. The gardens begin to wake. The breakfast room fills with morning light once again. The front door opens.

And another year of Exmoor Through the Seasons begins. Until then, Highcliffe may be resting – but your next stay on Exmoor does not have to wait to be planned.