Exmoor Views

Today a national campaign has been launched to raise £100,000 for environmental projects on some of Britain’s iconic wild places across eight National Parks, including Long Chains Combe on Exmoor.

Backed by Sir Chris Bonnington, Doug Scott and Julia Bradbury, the #MendOurMountains project has been created by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) to overcome a growing crisis facing many of the places we love. And you only have until May to make your pledge.

The combination of ever higher visitor numbers and reducing budgets means that national park authorities and conservation bodies have been struggling to keep up with all the vital repair projects needed on some of Britain’s best loved wild places. The campaign features well known places such as Scafell Pike and Snowdon, but also highlights lesser known areas such as Long Chains Combe.

Situated at the heart of the Exmoor Forest, Long Chains Combe is one of the remotest locations within the National Park.  The right of way that requires work forms part of the Two Moors Way that link Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks together.  It is also an ancient trading route originally used by pack horses, heading from Lynmouth Harbour up onto the high moor.

In 2015 due to a combination of flood damage and high usage, the route became badly eroded. Despite ENPA completing repairs involving re-grading and reinstating the drains,  several areas remain wet (with one section being particularly boggy that impedes walkers, cyclists and riders). The solution is 30 tons of Brayford blue scalpings to repair the path and re-profiling the immediate area to remove the water.  The problem is the site’s remoteness – lorries cannot get near the site and smaller vehicles would need to do many, many trips, causing even more erosion. The practical solution is to helicopter in the stone and then access the site with a small digger to carry out the works.

Which is why we need YOUR support! The #MendOurMountains campaign aims to raise £10,000 for Long Chains Combe through crowdfunding. This approach raises funds in return for ‘rewards’ – so the public can make a donation or pledge of money, and receive a thank you gift in return.

Make a pledge for the repair of Long Chains Combe from just £5 – the more you pledge, the bigger the Thank You. You could be rewarded with a night with Exmoor StarGazers or a free night’s hire of a Telescope; alternatively you could have your own ‘Exmoor’ fingerpost made by our Field Services Team; pledge £250 and you get a day out with an Exmoor Ranger for up to 3 people to discover hidden Exmoor.

Our Chief Executive, Dr Nigel Stone, said “We are very pleased to be working with the BMC in this innovative way of encouraging people to help maintain some of the most important walking routes in the National Park. The project we have put forward is one of Exmoor’s most remote and rugged tracks – an ancient route over the moor which is part of the Two Moors Way. 2016 is the 40th anniversary of this famous trail and we hope that people will support the work that is needed as part of the year’s celebrations.”

Click here to make your pledge and save Long Chains Combe