{"id":7417,"date":"2025-07-15T12:30:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T12:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=7417"},"modified":"2026-01-24T05:31:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T05:31:20","slug":"exmoors-literature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebestofexmoor.co.uk\/blog\/exmoors-literature\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore Exmoor\u2019s Literary Landscape: Coleridge Way, Salt Path & Two Moors Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where Inspiration Comes Alive: Walking in the Footsteps of Exmoor\u2019s Great Minds<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From Samuel Taylor Coleridge writing The Rime of the Ancient Mariner<\/em> in Watchet, to Cecil Frances Alexander sketching the lines of All Things Bright and Beautiful<\/em> while gazing at Dunkery Beacon, this landscape has always had a way of leaving its mark on the imagination.<\/p>\n

Coleridge lived in the Quantock Hills on the edge of Exmoor and spent long days walking the wild coast and moorland. It was during one of these walks that he passed through Watchet and imagined his most famous poem. The harbour town still honours the moment with a striking statue of the Ancient Mariner, standing watch over the sea that inspired the tale.<\/p>\n

Coleridge was often joined on these walks by his friend William Wordsworth<\/strong>, who found his own kind of peace and inspiration in the soft valleys and uplands of Exmoor. It was during this time that he composed early drafts of I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud<\/em>\u2014lines that speak of solitude, memory, and the quiet grandeur of nature. Though often associated with the Lake District, Wordsworth\u2019s time on Exmoor helped shape the romantic spirit that runs through his work.<\/p>\n

Not far from there, another poetic line took shape. Cecil Frances Alexander, visiting Exmoor in the 19th century, is believed to have written \u201cthe purple-headed mountain\u201d while looking out from Dunkery Beacon<\/strong>, the highest point on Exmoor. In late summer, the slopes below turn rich with flowering heather\u2014just as they did in her day.<\/p>\n

But Exmoor doesn\u2019t just belong to the past. With the Coleridge Way<\/strong>, Two Moors Way<\/strong>, and South West Coast Path<\/strong> weaving through its dramatic landscape, it still draws modern pilgrims in search of creativity, solace, and space to breathe.<\/p>\n

Watch below as Ian McKellen<\/strong> brings The Rime of the Ancient Mariner<\/em> to life, just a stone\u2019s throw from where it began:<\/p>\n