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Home Place on Exmoor

Walk 1. The Prehistoric Chains Walk 2. The Upper Barle and Cow Castle Walk 3. Watersmeet and Arnold's Linhay Walk 4.Bull Lighthouse and Mortehoe Walk 5. Heddons Mouth and the Roman Fort Walk 6. Withypool and the Tarr Steps Walk 7. Brendon Common & Valley Walk 8. Dunkery

Walk Eight- Dunkery Beacon A 3.5-4hr circular walk taking you all the way around Dunkery Beacon and visiting the historic 12th Century Church at Stoke Pero (involves quite a bit of hill work)

The Route:Park at Dunkery Bridge. Follow the path signposted "Exford 4 1/2" . The path winds along the SW side of Dunkery through open moor with views to your left towards Wheddon Cross, after about 1/2hr a path comes in to join you from the right, take this path turning right heading for the top of the Beacon. After about 15 mins, and just before the top, a small path crosses over the main path (just before the last steep hill before the summit). Turn left here onto the small path. After a short way your path crosses another path heading from the top along the ridge to your left, go straight ahead aiming towards the sea with spectacular views ahead of you over to Porlock and South Wales in the distance. The path starts to descend, after a while a new path joins from the right just before a small copse, turn left here walking towards a small road on the horizon. The path snakes down the sides of a valley where you ford a small stream at the bottom. Winding up the other side of the valley you join a small lane at the top. Turn right and follow the road for a little distance, just before the cattle grid, there's a turning to your left signposted Stoke Pero. It's worth a short detour to the historic 12th century church with strange Runes chiseled in the door. The road ahead winds down the hill through Cloutsham Farm and snakes down to the bottom of the valley. Walking along the banks of a small stream at the bottom of the valley follow the road a little further, you'll see a small wooden bridge over the stream . Cross over the bridge and start the steep assent to the top (signposted "Dunkery Beacon"). The path follows up the side of a valley, leaving the woods behind you, emerging onto open moorland again. Ignore the path to your left and head straight on towards the Beacon. At the top of the valley turn right and cross the head of the valley towards the summit. Reaching the top (the highest point on the moor) you can admire views over Exmoor and to South Wales. Head straight over (not left, it's easy to get confused) and back to the car.

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