Short answer: Two villages five hundred feet apart with the cliff railway between them. Lynmouth's harbour is the winter draw, the Ancient Mariner and the Blue Ball Inn stay open, and Exmoor's dark skies are at their best from autumn to spring.
This is the serious end of a Devon December. Lynmouth sits at the harbour where two rivers meet the sea; Lynton is five hundred feet above it. Exmoor behind is at its most dramatic between November and March, and at its most demanding.
Worth planning around. Exmoor was Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve, and on a clear moonless night the high ground above Lynton shows the Milky Way to the naked eye. Autumn to spring is the season for it — December nights are long and often clear after a front passes.
Water-powered and running since 1890. Check winter operating days before relying on it, because the alternative is the steep hairpin road between the two villages.
2026 dates: switch-on evenings and market dates are confirmed by town councils and organisers through October and November, and they move year to year. Check the town council or chamber of commerce listing before travelling rather than relying on last year's date.
The Valley of Rocks is spectacular under a hard December sky, and there is an easy level path as well as the higher routes. Watersmeet is sheltered by trees and the rivers are at their best after rain — but the climb back up is the part people underestimate.
Glen Lyn Gorge is cash only and Watersmeet's nearer car park takes cash with patchy signal. The nearest machine is up in Lynton.
Book Christmas and Boxing Day lunch in November. Devon's good pubs fill weeks ahead and the ones that do not take bookings have queues instead.
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