No-6   Horner Woods

Explore some of the finest oak woodlands in England as you follow the deep combes of Exmoor.

Route Info

he route starts from the National Trust car park, takes you along the eastern side of Horner Water, then crosses the stream and takes you up to a viewpoint over the wooded valley. This is a stunning woodland walk, a bit longer than some of our other short walks, but it is an adventure not to be missed. Purchase a water and tear resistant route guide online or from an Exmoor National Park Centre.

Route change: The first section of the walk as shown in the leaflet has been closed due to ash dieback on trees close to the path. Instead follow the pink arrow waymarks, which will instead take you along the track close to the river (marked with white dashes on the leaflet).

Distance -  5.4 km (3.5 miles). Time -  about 2 hours
Accessibility info

Link to route on Ordnance Survey mapping

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Accessibility information

Ascent / Descent - About 700 ft / 210 metres

Facilities
At the start is a café and accessible public toilets.

Terrain and surface
The first part of this walk is fairly gentle as it runs up the valley beside the Horner Water (stream). Over the next mile it then climbs, (gradients up to 1:4)  steadily rising 600 feet up the side of the valley, with stunning views before descending back down to Horner village.   The path generally has a dirt and stone natural surface. There may be loose stones or exposed tree roots in places which are potential trip hazards, so please take care.

As an easier alternative you can find details of a shorter more accessible walk along the lower part of the valley on our Exmoor Strolls page.

View a more detailed  ‘walk-through’ video showing the path surface and terrain along the entire route.

Height profile - Horner Explorer

Exmoor Explorers

This is one of our top ten shorter Exmoor walks. We have chosen our favourite walks to help you get a real feel for the wonderful landscape, history and wildlife of Exmoor National Park