EXMOOR

high moorland in northwestern Somerset and northern Devon, England, that forms a national park 268 square miles (693 square km) in extent. It borders the Bristol Channel on the north and has a beautiful coastline of rugged headlands interspersed with narrow, wooded valleys, or coombs. Inland, beyond the fringe of farms, lies a misty plateau of heather moors, rising more than 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, with Dunkery Beacon (1,703 feet ) as the highest feature. The moors remain grazing grounds for hardy Exmoor ponies and Exmoor horned sheep, and wild red deer are still hunted there. The River Exe rises there and flows south to the English Channel. Tourism is important to the local economy, and Lynton, Lynmouth, and Porlock are the main centres.