Exmoor National Park launches new walks as lockdown eases

One of the 10 new walks takes in Dunkery Beacon, which is Exmoor's highest point at 519m

Exmoor National Park has launched a series of walks in a bid to help spread visitors out across its 267 sq miles.

Dan James, rural enterprise manager for Exmoor National Park, said they were expecting a "bumper busy" year and the new routes included some "hidden gems".

The 10 walks, called the Exmoor Explorers, range from about 40 minutes to two-and-a-half hours.

Visitors to the park increased by 30% following the easing of lockdown restrictions in 2020.

The new walks include routes across marshland and up to Exmoor's highest point, Dunkery Beacon.

Mr James added: "Within Exmoor nearly two-thirds of all employment is directly related to tourism and obviously that has had a huge impact over the last 12 months.

"We are really keen now to bring people back in a safe and responsible manner and that's part of our work with these walks is just trying to manage things safely."