Exmoor National Park
| Exmoor National Park | |||
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| Location: | Devon , Somerset , United Kingdom | ||
| Next city: | Taunton | ||
| Surface: | 692.8 km² | ||
| Length: | 70 | ||
| Address: | exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk | ||
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The Exmoor National Park , named after the river Exe is a national park in the English counties of Devon and Somerset . In the north it borders on the Bristol Channel . The varied rocky coast is interspersed with narrow, wooded valley cuts.
It was founded in 1954 and covers an area of 692.8 km². In autumn 2011 it was recognized as a light reserve by the International Dark Sky Association as International Dark Sky Park (IDSP, in silver), and has been called Exmoor International Dark Sky Reserve since then . It is the third such area in the UK. The core zone comprises 8,313 ha, the critical buffer zone 9,828 ha in the center of the national park. The Norman Lockyer Observatory is also located there .
geography
Inland, behind a border area with farms, there is a plateau intersected by small valleys (“combes”) with moorland , which is often shrouded in mist or fog. It lies at an average height of 300 m; the highest point is the Dunkery Beacon at 519 m. Exmoor is divided by two ridges and is a watershed. The Barle and Exe Rivers flow south to the English Channel , while the Lyn and Avill flow north to the Bristol Channel.
Flora and fauna
The vacant moorland is an open, treeless heathland where blueberries , a local delicacy, and bracken grow. On the coast, pink heather in bloom contrasts with bright yellow gorse . In the middle of Exmoor, around Simonsbath, lies the former royal hunting forest, now an extensive grass moor area. Most of England's red deer live in Exmoor.
Coastal landscape on the Bristol Channel
Dunkery Hill with Dunkery Beacon
A typical landscape in Exmoor
Blooming heather at the Dunkery Beacon
Localities
About half of the approximately 10,500 inhabitants live in the villages spread across the area, the largest of which are Lynton, Dunster, Porlock and Dulverton. The churches in some villages such as Parracombe, Porlock, Culbone and Brendon are dedicated to Celtic saints.
Agriculture and tourism
The agricultural use is based on sheep and cattle breeding. Agriculture is also practiced on the fertile soils of the Vale of Porlock (Porlocker Tal) and the areas in the Brendon Hills .
Tourism is an important economic factor in the region. There are many places where you can ride the Exmoor ponies . This wild moorland pony is Britain's oldest pony breed. One of the attractions in Exmoor National Park is z. B. the Clapper bridge Tarr Steps .
literature
- Exmoor National Park: Dark Sky Reserve . Application to the International Dark Sky Association. 2011 ( pdf ; 75.8 MB; exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk) - with extensive materials on light protection
Web links
- exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk - official website (English)
Individual evidence
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↑ International Dark Sky Reserve ( Memento of the original from March 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk Exmoor - Dark Sky Reserve ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , British Astronomical Association, britastro.org
- ^ Exmoor National Park. Application, 10 Exmoor IDSR Core Area Details , p. 14 ff
