Walking In a Land of Purple and Gold

Ling and Bell Heather on Bossington Hill

It doesn't get much better than this!

Popular rumour has it that when Coleridge wrote about Kubla Khan's stately pleasure dome in Xanadu, he had Bossington Hill and the area around Allerford on Exmoor in mind.

Anyone on Bossington Hill yesterday, walking the green sward among the purple heather and golden gorse could not have failed to agree with him. What a wonderful walk, I have walked this route well over fifty times, maybe as many as a hundred and it still enchants me today. Either I am a creature with very little imagination or this is a very special place. I prefer to believe the latter. Over the years I have led hundreds of walkers over this landscape and not one has been disappointed.

To cap all of this splendour with a pot of tea and a slice of apple cake at Periwinkle Cottage in gorgeous Selworthy Green provides the perfect end to the perfect outing.

I do love Exmoor!