Exploring Exmoor from Square One

An explorer of Exmoor National Park is faced with huge variety at every turn. From the high, wet grass moors with their areas of blanket bog; through long wooded valleys with clear fast-flowing rivers; across the drier coastal heather-clad heaths, and to a spectacular coast with some of the highest sea cliffs in England and saltmarsh where Porlock Vale meets the sea.

As the scenery changes, so does the flora and wildlife including many species now rare elsewhere in Britain such as the High Brown and Heath Fritillary butterflies, together with the wild red deer and the distinctive Exmoor pony.

This book, uniquely, examines every part of Exmoor. Dividing the National Park up into a grid of 2 kilometres squared, Nigel Stone discovers something of interest in every bit of the matrix – sometimes familiar, sometimes fascinatingly obscure, and all illustrated with stunning photographs of this glorious place.

Whether it is prized as a visual celebration of this beloved landscape, or used as a starting point for visiting and methodically ticking off every square, Exploring Exmoor from Square One is a ground-breaking publication which will intrigue and delight anyone with a love of the Moor.

Nigel Stone has a PhD in Zoology reflecting his lifelong passion for wildlife and the environment. Following an early career in environmental charities and local government, Nigel became Chief Executive at Exmoor National Park Authority in 1999 where he served for eighteen years. Nigel’s enthusiasm for Exmoor found an outlet in photography which commenced in his leisure time and has developed further since retirement.

During his time at the National Park, he recognised the essential role played by local people, and particularly the farming community, in caring for and managing the National Park environment. He is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Exeter and has undertaken research into the importance of public funding support to the future of hill farming and its role in sustaining Exmoor’s special landscape.