North Hill overlooks Minehead, with superb views across the Bristol Channel. The coastal heath is a blaze of colour in August. At Moor Wood are the remains of a World War II tank training ground and radar station. Here also is a car park, picnic area and the starting point for numerous walks.
Moor Wood on
North Hill is part of a five-mile long ridge running between Minehead in the east and Bossington in the west. The area's main habitat is the rare coastal heath that is dominated by plants such as bell heather, ling, western gorse and bracken.
The heath supports unusual birds such as nightjar and Dartford warbler as well as the
more common stonechat. Other Exmoor wildlife found here includes, red deer, common lizard and the elusive adder.
Grazing and burning, as well as clearing rhododendron, trees and scrub, help to maintain the delicate balance of plants and wildlife. Native Exmoor ponies roam freely over the heath and are essential in this balancing act - they are
great at eating the prickly gorse and other scrub.
Between 1942 and 1945 British, Canadian and American troops used the ridge
for tank training. At Moor Wood they unloaded Churchill and Sherman tanks on concrete ramps that can still be seen in the picnic area.
As part of the management of the heathland on North Hill, the National Park Authority controls the spread of Rhododendron. Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum) is a non-native and very invasive shrub which outcompetes the native heathland plants causing a reduction in the number of heathland birds, insects and other animals. This area is currently in a tenancy agreement (200&) in which the grazier is in Defra's Organic farming Scheme so no herbicides during this treatment. Instead we will be trialling techniques which will involve cutting down the Rhododendron bushes and digging up the stumps in an attempt to stop them regrowing. North Hill currently supports a number of special heathland species 1 including birds such as the stonechat and Dartford warbler.
OS Grid Reference: SS9547 |
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