Melody Art

Melody Art

Exmo or is a Nation al Park situat ed on the Bristol Chann el coast of South West Engla nd. The park stradd les two separ ate counti es, with 71% in Some rset and 29% locat ed in Devo n. The total area of the park, which includ es the Brend on Hills and the Vale of Porloc k, covers 267 squa re miles (692 km²) of hilly open moorl and, and includ es 34 miles (55 km) of coast. It is primar ily an upland area with a disper sed popul ation living mainly in small villag es and hamlet s. The three large st settle ments are Porlo ck and Dulver ton, and the combi ned villag es of Lynton and Lynmo uth, conne cted by the Lynton and Lynmo uth Cliff Railw ay, which togeth er conta in almost 40% of the Nation al Park popul ation.

Prior to being a park, Exmo or was a Royal Forest and hunti ng groun d, which was sold off in 1818. Exmo or was one of the first British Nation al Parks, desig nated in 1954, under the 1949 Nation al Parks and Acce ss to the Countr yside Act,[1] and is nam ed after its main river, the River Exe.

Sever al areas of the moor have been declar ed a Site of Speci al Scient ific intere st due to the flora and fauna, which have some legal protec tion from develo pmen t, dama ge, and neglec t. In 1993 Exmo or was desig nated as an Enviro nment ally Sensit ive Area.

Exmo or has 34 miles (55 km) of coastli ne, includi ng the highe st cliffs in Engla nd, which reach a height of 1,350 feet (411 m) at Culbo ne Hill. Howe ver, the crest of this coast al ridge of hills is more than a mile (1.6 km) from the sea. If a cliff is defin ed as having a slope great er than 60 degre es, the highe st cliff on mainla nd Britain is Great Hang man near Com be Martin at 1,043 feet (318 m) high, with a cliff face of 800 feet (244 m).  Its sister cliff is the 716 feet (218 m) Little Hang man, which marks the edge of Exmo or.

Exmo or's woodl ands somet imes reach the shoreli ne, espec ially betwe en Porlo ck and The Forela nd, where they form the single longe st stretch of coast al woodl and in Engla nd and Wale s.  The Exmo or Coast al Heat hs have been recog nised as a Site of Speci al Scient ific Intere st due to the diversi ty of plant speci es prese nt.[9]

The scene ry of rocky headl ands, ravine s, waterf alls and toweri ng cliffs gain ed the Exmo or coast recog nition as a Herita ge Coast in 1991.  This drama tic coastli ne is an advent ure playgr ound for climbe rs and explor ers, with its with huge waterf alls and caves. The cliffs provi de one of the longe st and most isolat ed seacli ff traver ses in the UK.  The South West Coast Path, at 630 miles (1,014 km) the longe st Nation al Trail in Engla nd and Wale s, starts at Mineh ead and runs along all of Exmo or's coast. There are small harbo urs at Lynmo uth, Porlo ck Weir and Com be Marti n. Once import ant for coast al trade, their prima ry use now is for pleasu re sailing and fishin g.

Porlock Bay

Original oil painting on canvas

Melody has recently painted a number of small oil paintings of Exmoor, it is where her heart is and where she hopes to return.