Some of the best things in life are the ones you have to work for – the hearty pub meal after a long countryside walk, clambering into bed after a long day at work, the view at the top of a mountain. Heddon’s Mouth is one of these.
Based in the Heddon Valley in Exmoor National Park, the National Trust car park is in a hamlet with a smattering of houses, a quaint pub and a campsite, all with serious Swiss Alps vibes, especially as the steep roads must be treacherously inaccessible for the winter months.
Heddon’s Mouth is a 2-mile round trip from the car park, following the gushing River Heddon all the way to the beach and into the Bristol Channel. The path is steep at times, but so worth it as the heather-peppered cliffs open up to reveal the glorious North Devon coastline.
Owned by the National Trust since 1963, the Heddon’s Mouth beach has a mostly undocumented history, but which we know has included smugglers making the most of the secluded cove, a WWII U-boat captain let his men out onto the beach to find fresh water supplies, and it was the site of a rescue of 400 passengers from a stranded pleasure cruiser.
Verdict: Beautiful riverside walk to see some even more beautiful coastal views.
A Year of Trust 