The best way to experience Valley of Rocks, which lies just around the corner from the twin coastal villages of Lynton and Lynmouth, is with a 3.5-mile circular walk.<\/p>\n
![\""Rocky\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/09\/GettyImages-629600655-20323b0.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Valley\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Valley of Rocks history<\/h3>\n
Many millennia ago, this rugged valley was left high and dry when its creator, the River Lyn<\/a>, changed her mind and altered course to embrace the sea at Lynmouth. An evocative and occasionally eerie place, the valley has inspired writers including Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, and its rugged architecture echoes with ancient legends. The tall tales and high rocks will keep children enthralled, as will the rock\u2019s very own herd of feral goats and their enchanting kids.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Related articles<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section><\/div>\n 3.5 miles | 1.5 hours | moderate<\/em><\/p>\n 1. Hollerday Time<\/strong><\/p>\n From the Exmoor National Park<\/a> car park at the eastern entrance to the valley, walk across the road and follow the footpath directly ahead, which ascends the western cheek of Hollerday Hill. The path elbows right and meets a T-junction; turn left and stroll along a sealed section of the South West Coast Path<\/a> with the serrated profile of the rocks on one side and the restless sea to your right.<\/p>\n 2. Hillbillies<\/strong><\/p>\n Soon you\u2019ll pass beneath Rugged Jack, a tumbling tor towering over a spellbinding vista of the Exmoor coast as it runs along the Bristol Channel towards the Celtic Sea.<\/p>\n The story goes that druids were caught dancing on this vantage point by the Devil\u00a0one Sunday, so he turned\u00a0them to stone. Undeterred, a mischievous mob of characters still prances around here: the resident goats, who put local climbers to shame with their crag-clinging skills. These feral fellows enjoy the run of the rocks, as various herds have since the 11th century, when the Domesday Book noted the presence of goats here.<\/p>\n 3. Castle Rock<\/strong><\/p>\n As the path rounds the head and descends, clamber up the rough trail on the right to explore iconic Castle Rock,\u00a0an arresting summit of angled stone, which offers a regal\u00a0view across Wringcliff Bay.\u00a0While descending, look back to see the profile of the White Lady formed by cracks in the stone. On the opposite side\u00a0of the valley another rock formation, known as the Devil\u2019s Cheese Ring, was used by author RD Blackmore as the home of witch Mother\u00a0Meldrum in his locally based novel\u00a0Lorna Doon<\/i><\/p>\n 4. Secret beach<\/strong><\/p>\n At the roundabout, a return trail leads down to the shingle and sand beach of Wringcliff Bay,\u00a0a beautiful secluded cove\u00a0that you can often have all to yourself in quieter months.<\/p>\n 5. Woodland walking<\/strong><\/p>\n Back on the road, descend towards Lee Abbey. Take the track that branches\u00a0left opposite this\u00a0Gothic\u00a0mansion and climb the hill.\u00a0As you approach Six Acre Wood, take a sharp left to follow the bridleway along a gentle tree-fringed incline.<\/p>\n 6. Back through time<\/strong><\/p>\n When you reach a switchback, leave the bridleway and go straight ahead along a trail that zig-zags through heather to join a path leading east above South Cleave, a protected part of the valley that boasts evidence of an Iron Age hillfort and prehistoric Celtic field systems. Stay on this trail as it wends right and then descends towards the car park where you started, passing a cemetery on the right. If you\u2019ve worked up a hearty appetite, there are several options in the nearby clifftop town of Lynton to satisfy your hunger, including the cosy Crown Hotel on Market Street.<\/p>\nValley of Rocks walk<\/h2>\n
![\""Confluence\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/09\/GettyImages-558237917-f8d6445.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C408"\" "\\"\"Confluence\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Goat\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/Feral-goats-Exmoor-2a17cb7.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Feral\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Tourists\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/09\/GettyImages-459989234-e1655b4.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C412"\" "\\"\"Tourists\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Valley of Rocks map<\/h3>\n
![\""Valley\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2017\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-02-at-14.33.15-0da62d6.png?quality=90&resize=495%2C413"\" "\\"\"Valley\\"\/")
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