The UK has 15 national parks, and somehow the one with the fewest visitors is also one of its most dramatic. Exmoor, in southwest England, straddles Somerset and Devon along the Bristol Channel and draws only around 2 million people a year — a trickle compared to the crowds in the Lake District or Peak District. For anyone after moody moorland, cliff walks and silence, that gap is the whole appeal.
Set up in 1954, the park covers 267 square miles, including 37 miles of coastline that has earned the nickname the "Wilderness Coast." The clifftops here are serious: the Great Hangman rises 1,044 feet above the sea, the highest sheer cliff in England and Wales, while the Valley of Rocks offers some of the strangest and most photogenic coastal geology in the country. Inland, forests run almost to the water's edge, sheltering one of England's tallest Douglas firs and a rare endemic whitebeam tree. Above the tree line, the moors bloom with wildflowers in summer and Exmoor ponies roam free year-round.
Walkers are the real winners. More than 620 miles of trails thread through the park, from short ambles to multi-day expeditions. The South West Coast Path — now part of the King Charles III England Coast Path, the world's longest continuous coastal trail — cuts right through it. History buffs get their share too: people have lived here since the Mesolithic era, and the park protects archaeological sites and medieval buildings.
Timing matters mostly for crowds, not weather. July and August bring the peak of summer visitors, so shoulder seasons suit solitude-seekers better — spring for wildflowers, autumn for colour, and winter if you want the moors almost to yourself. Entry to the park is free, and wild camping is possible with the landowner's permission (Hipcamp lists options); stick to designated fire spots and brush up on the Countryside Code first. For something cosier, the off-grid Pinkery Farmhouse works well for groups, and the nearby harbour town of Watchet — about 15 minutes away — makes a quiet, characterful base with plenty of B&Bs and cottages.
Getting there is straightforward but needs a car to do properly. Most international visitors fly into London Heathrow, roughly three hours east by road, though Exeter, Bristol and Cardiff airports are closer. Rental cars run about $60 a day, and there are train and bus links if you'd rather not drive. If Exmoor whets your appetite, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in Wales and the Cairngorms in Scotland are logical next stops for more wild, protected walking country.
For travellers who like their national parks empty rather than famous, Exmoor is an easy case to make: big coastal drama, honest walking, and barely anyone else around.
