The Best Pub Walks on Exmoor

Using this Guide

This guide is for your personal use. Follow the steps below to download and use each GPX route:

Download the GPX file to your phone.
Open it in a walking app such as Komoot, AllTrails or OS Maps.
Follow the route live using GPS.

To download all routes, click the icon below

Tarr Steps to Withypool

Riverside wandering with a choice of reward at the finish

Few walks capture the charm of Exmoor quite like the stretch between Tarr Steps and Withypool. Featuring the iconic clapper bridge, this route follows the River Barle as it winds through ancient oak woodland, dappled light flickering on the water and birdsong echoing through the valley, all reachable from our front door. This walk is a true Exmoor Blockbuster featuring not one but two drinking holes.

Turn right at the post box in Hawkridge and follow the Two Moors Way (signed “MW” on footpath notices) through Parsonage Farm and towards the Tarr Steps. Cross the stone slabs of Tarr Steps and take a moment to look upstream and down. It is one of the most photographed spots on Exmoor for good reason. From here, the path traces the river gently, occasionally climbing just enough to open up views across the valley before dipping back to the water’s edge.

The Tarr Farm Inn makes a welcome place for refreshments and lunch. It is one of those rare places that feels both refined and reassuringly walker friendly, equally suited to a coffee on arrival or something more celebratory.

As you arrive into Withypool, the reward is yours to choose. If you are in the mood for a well earned pint and something savoury, the Royal Oak is your choice: a classic Exmoor inn where muddy boots are always welcome. If, however, your loyalties lean toward tea and cake rather than ale, the Withypool Tea Room provides the gentler alternative. Homemade bakes, proper tea and a sunny garden make it the perfect softer landing after a riverside ramble.

There is both the circular walk (16.5km) as well as the linear walk for which you will need to have previously arranged transport home (9.7km).

Download Circular Walk

Download Linear Walk

Withypool to Simonsbath

A classic: open moor and deep valley walking into the heart of Exmoor

Setting out from Withypool, don’t forget to stock up with tea and cake at the Withypool Tea Room as you first task is to climb the steep hill out of the village following the Two Moors Way footpath. Leaving the village behind, the landscape opens up into stunning moorland where Exmoor Ponies often graze. The path then meanders gently back towards the valley floor, sometimes tucked close to the water, sometimes lifting just enough to reveal sweeping views across the moor.

Red deer are often spotted along this stretch, particularly in the quieter hours of morning or late afternoon, adding to the sense that you have wandered somewhere truly wild. This is Exmoor at it’s very best.

Your destination is the quietly atmospheric hamlet of Simonsbath, where the Exmoor Forest Inn awaits. Log fires, local game and a deeply rooted Exmoor history make it one of the most characterful inns on the moor, and a fitting place to refuel.

There is both a linear (10km) and circular (19km) option. If you choose the linear walk so be sure to leave a car at the finish as taxis are a rare commodity in Simonsbath. If you do the full circular, then you will have earned a second beer at The Royal Oak on your return to Withypool.

Download Linear Walk

Download Circular Walk

Dunkery Beacon to Porlock Weir

Summit to sea with a harbour finish

For those who like their pub walks with a touch more drama, this route begins high on the moor at Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on Exmoor. The views from the summit stretch for miles in every direction, rolling moorland one way and the Bristol Channel shimmering in the distance the other.

From here, the landscape begins its gradual transformation. Open heather clad hills give way to the dense, towering trees of Horner Woods, where shaded tracks wind through some of the tallest woodland in the country. As you descend, glimpses of the coastline begin to appear, each one drawing you closer to the sea. The final stretch opens out to Porlock Weir, a picture perfect harbour where boats bob gently against the quay.

The walk concludes at the waters edge at the Ship Inn, where sea air and a well poured pint make for a memorable end to a truly varied day on foot.

This is a largely downhill linear walk (10km).

Download linear walk

Rest and Be Thankful to Dunkery Beacon Circular

High moorland wandering to Exmoor’s highest summit

Beginning in the village of Wheddon Cross, take a moment to enjoy the panorama before setting off. From here, pick up the well worn path heading west toward Luckwell Bridge, before joining Long Lane which rises steadily toward the high moor.

The ascent builds gradually, the landscape opening wider with every step until the summit trig point of Dunkery Beacon comes into view, marking the highest point on Exmoor. On clear days the reward is immense, with views stretching across the Bristol Channel to Wales and inland across the rolling spine of the National Park. It is a natural place to pause, catch your breath and take in the scale of the landscape.

Rather than retracing your steps, the route continues due east from the summit. This section feels wonderfully remote, the path threading through open heather and grassland before looping back toward the wooded slopes below your starting point. The final steep ascent brings you back to where it all began, where the viewpoint once again provides a fitting closing scene to the walk.

This circular route is approximately 12 kilometres and is a challenging outing, but a hugely rewarding one. Be sure to round it off with lunch and a well earned pint at the Rest and Be Thankful Inn.

Download circular walk

Practical Bits Before You Set Off

Even the best pub walks benefit from a little forward planning, particularly on Exmoor where the landscapes are wild, beautiful and occasionally a touch unpredictable.

Maps matter: While many routes are waymarked, signage can be limited once you are on the open moor. We recommend carrying an OS Explorer OL9 map or downloading the GPX routes we provide before setting out.

Check the forecast: Exmoor weather has a habit of doing its own thing. A clear morning can quickly turn misty on the high ground, so pack an extra layer even on fair days.

Signal is limited: Mobile reception comes and goes, especially in the valleys. It is all part of the charm, but another good reason to download maps in advance.

Boots over trainers: Paths can be muddy, uneven and occasionally boggy, particularly after rain. Proper walking boots will make the day far more enjoyable.

Plan your transport: Some walks are linear rather than circular. We are always happy to recommend local taxi firms if you would prefer not to retrace your steps.

Pub hours: Country pubs keep country hours. It is worth checking opening times and booking if you are going to eat.

There are few finer pleasures in life than setting off across Exmoor with a map in your pocket, fresh air in your lungs and the promise of a pub at the other end. Our favourite walks all follow the same simple formula, big views, quiet paths, just enough uphill to earn your pint, and a roaring fire waiting when you arrive. If you would like help choosing a route, arranging transport or planning a full day out, we are always delighted to help. After all, a great walk should feel effortless from the moment you leave the farm gate to the moment you return.

Space to be together - set deep in Exmoor

West Hollowcombe Farm, Broad Lane, Hawkridge, Exmoor National Park, TA22 9QL