Visiting Lynton and Lynmouth for the First Time

Short answer: Lynton and Lynmouth are one destination stacked vertically: Lynmouth at the harbour, Lynton five hundred feet above, joined by a water-powered cliff railway running since 1890. Park once and use the railway. Bring cash.

Two villages, one destination

Lynmouth sits down at the harbour where two rivers meet the sea. Lynton is five hundred feet directly above it on the cliff. They are one place, stacked vertically, and understanding that is the key to a good day here.

Use the cliff railway

A water-powered funicular running since 1890, climbing between the villages in about two minutes. Park once, in either village, and use it to get to the other. It is an attraction in its own right and it saves driving the steep hairpins between the two.

The things to do

• The Valley of Rocks — dramatic rock formations, wild goats and the highest rating in this guide.
• Watersmeet — a National Trust wooded gorge where two rivers meet.
• Glen Lyn Gorge — waterfalls and a hydro-power exhibition. Cash only.
• The Exmoor National Park Centre — on the Lynmouth esplanade, with walking advice.

Bring cash

Several places are cash only. Glen Lyn Gorge takes cash with the nearest machine up in Lynton. Watersmeet's nearer car park takes cash with patchy phone signal. Coins save a lot of frustration.

It is Exmoor

You are on the edge of Exmoor National Park, which was Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve. On a clear, moonless night the high ground above Lynton is one of the best places in England to see the Milky Way.

Where to eat

The Old Bank in Lynton is the highest-rated food in either village, doing sharing plates. The Greenhouse is open nine till nine. The Ancient Mariner is Lynmouth's main pub. The Blue Ball Inn on Countisbury Hill is an old coaching inn with moorland views.