The Best of Exmoor

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The Best of Exmoor strives to bring you a selection of quality holiday cottages in this beautiful part of the world. We are a family business.

No-one is more passionate about Exmoor than The Best of Exmoor team. We all live and work in the local area and want our customers to love this place as much as we do. We aim to do all we can make sure that our customers have a great holiday. We offer straight-forward descriptions of our properties with clear photos so that our customers can see as much as possible of what they are getting when they make their booking. We will always be honest and reply as soon as we can to your queries, questions, comments or concerns. We hope to help make your Exmoor holiday a reality soon! If you have a property that you would like us to advertise for you, please contact us for further information.

28/10/2026

Hartford Cottage, West Anstey | "Relaxing and peaceful, we had a great stay."

Another 5-star review from a happy guest at Hartford Cottage, West Anstey.

Set in stunning West Anstey, this cottage offers an unforgettable Exmoor escape. Whether you're here for long walks across the moor or quiet evenings by the fire, this is a place that stays with you. The landscape around West Anstey is some of the finest in the South West, and this cottage puts you right at the heart of it.

What's your favourite thing about an Exmoor holiday?

🏠 Stay here: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-west-anstey/hartford-cottage
📷 Guest review

28/10/2026

Exford | A churchyard, a hill, and the middle of the moor.

The parish church up on its rise above the village with the headstones leaning about in the grass, and a sky that has decided to behave itself for once.

Exford sits in the middle of Exmoor on the River Exe, which is barely a stream by the time it gets here. It is a working village rather than a pretty one — the stables, the shops, two pubs on the green and the smell of horses about the place. If you want somewhere to base a week of walking with everything roughly equidistant, this is it. Dunkery is up the road and Tarr Steps is down it.

Which Exmoor village would you move to tomorrow?

🏠 Stay in Exford: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-exford
📷 Photo: Neville Stanikk

27/10/2026

Birch Cleave Tower, Simonsbath | A stone tower for two, in the middle of the moor.

Three floors, one bedroom, and a staircase. The Tower is a traditional stone building at Simonsbath that has been taken back to the studs and put together again properly, with the quirks left in on purpose.

Kitchen with a breakfast bar on the ground floor, sitting room above it, bedroom at the top. Room for two and nobody else, which is the entire point. Simonsbath is about as central as Exmoor gets — the Exmoor Forest Inn across the way, the Barle starting on the moor above, and Birch Cleave beech wood, the highest in England, right behind.

One week free in early November.

Would three floors for two people be charming or exhausting?

🏠 Birch Cleave Tower: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-simonsbath/the-tower
💬 Or WhatsApp us: https://wa.me/447356279925

27/10/2026

Riverside Cottage, Brendon | "A great stay in a beautiful area."

Another 5-star review from a happy guest at Riverside Cottage, Brendon.

Nestled in the heart of Brendon, this is the perfect retreat for anyone seeking peace and natural beauty. With rolling countryside views and cosy interiors, it's easy to see why guests keep coming back. The surrounding area is full of wonderful walks, welcoming pubs, and all the charm that makes Exmoor so special.

Have you stayed here? We'd love to hear about your experience!

🏠 Stay here: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-brendon/riverside-brendon
📷 Guest review

27/10/2026

Valley of Rocks | A dry valley, a stone path, and goats on the skyline.

Castle Rock standing up out of the bracken with the track running along below it, rust-red everywhere and the sea off to the right. Walk this on a windy day and you will remember it.

The Valley of Rocks sits just west of Lynton and runs parallel to the coast rather than down to it — a dry valley the sea cut off long ago. The feral goats have been here for centuries and are entirely unbothered by you. It is a mile along the toll road from Lynton, or a proper walk round the cliff path from Lynmouth if you would rather earn it.

Have you been up Castle Rock, or watched the goats do it instead?

🏠 Stay in Lynton: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-lynton
📷 Photo: Neville Stanikk

26/10/2026

Luccombe Cottage, near Dunster | Red sandstone, a gold tree, and the dogs are welcome.

The door at Luccombe Cottage with the tree beside it going over to yellow and the stone gone warm in the light. It is an upside-down cottage at the east end of South Barn, part of an old farm, so the living space is up where the views are.

One double with an en-suite shower room, two twins and a family bathroom — room for six, and two dogs are welcome at £20 each. Dunster is down the road with the castle, the Yarn Market and the steam railway, and the coast is ten minutes beyond that.

Mid-November onwards is open.

Who are you bringing — and how many of them have four legs?

🏠 Luccombe Cottage: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-dunster/luccombe
💬 Or WhatsApp us: https://wa.me/447356279925

26/10/2026

Dunkery View, Wootton Courtenay | "Everything about Dunkery View is absolutely 5 Star and beautiful. The owners are lovely, friendly and helpful. I have really enjoyed all my stays at Dunkery View and hope to return."

Another 5-star review from a happy guest at Dunkery View, Wootton Courtenay.

With Wootton Courtenay on your doorstep, this cottage is ideal for walkers, families, and anyone needing a proper countryside break. Guests love the warm welcome and the stunning setting. From dramatic moorland to hidden valleys, there's always something new to discover on your next visit.

Morning walks or cosy evenings by the fire — which is your favourite?

🏠 Stay here: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-wootton-courtenay/dunkery-view
📷 Guest review

26/10/2026

Doone Valley | Steep sides, a small river, and a very tall story.

Badgworthy Water running down the bottom with the bracken going over on both slopes. Not a big valley, which is part of why it works — you can see the whole of it from the path.

This is the Doone Valley of Lorna Doone, and R D Blackmore borrowed the real place wholesale for the novel in 1869. Walk in from Malmsmead, past the Badgworthy memorial stone, and you get to the ruins of the medieval settlement that everyone decided must have been the Doones' stronghold. It is a flat, easy walk in and a good one for a damp day.

Have you read Lorna Doone, or only been told you should?

🏠 Stay near the Doone Valley: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-malmsmead
📷 Photo: Neville Stanikk

25/10/2026

Barn Cottage, Brayford | Stone, lawn, and the edge of the moor.

Barn Cottage takes the south end of a large former farmhouse just outside the National Park boundary, with a proper garden round it and arched windows that give away what the building used to be.

Three bedrooms, room for four, four round the table. Brayford sits on the Bray between South Molton and Barnstaple, so you get the moor on one side and the North Devon coast on the other — Woolacombe and Croyde are about forty minutes, the moor about ten. Quiet lanes, good walking, and the sort of dark skies you only get this far from anywhere.

November weeks are free.

Moor or coast, if you could only pick one?

🏠 Barn Cottage: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-brayford/barn-cottage
💬 Or WhatsApp us: https://wa.me/447356279925

25/10/2026

Jacobs Pond, Monksilver | "Absolutely superb, well-maintained and comfortable home in a peaceful setting, yet very accessible to local attractions....had everything we needed for a large-ish group."

Another 5-star review from a happy guest at Jacobs Pond, Monksilver.

Tucked away in Monksilver, this is exactly the kind of getaway Exmoor does best. Peaceful surroundings, comfortable living, and a landscape that never fails to impress. Whether you're walking the coastal path or simply enjoying the garden with a cuppa, there's something here for everyone.

What would you do first if you stayed here?

🏠 Stay here: https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/stay-in-monksilver/jacobs-pond
📷 Guest review

Address

Porlock Weir
Taunton
TA248PA

Website

https://www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk/, https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb9Ow8hLtOjLE7hcjp2g

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