Quiet farmland, wooded combes and little lanes on the Devon–Somerset border — a gentle, unhurried corner
The Blackdown Hills are one of the quieter corners of the West Country, a plateau of small fields, deep wooded valleys and narrow lanes straddling the Devon and Somerset border. The National Landscape covers 370 square kilometres and was designated in 1991, and it stays largely off the tourist trail, which is a good part of the appeal.
Staple Hill is among the higher points, with forest tracks and views out over the lowland to the north. Scattered around are small commons and old workings like Ashculm Turbary and Black Down and Sampford Commons, where boggy heath and rough grassland hold plenty of wildlife.
Walking here is gentle rather than dramatic, on field paths and green lanes that can get muddy after rain, so boots are wise outside high summer. Signposting is patchy in places and the paths are quiet, so a map helps, but there’s nothing to catch out a careful walker on an ordinary day.
