GENERAL INFORMATION

Challacombe is a traditional rural "dispersed settlement" (a settlement of scattered farmsteads rather than a nucleated village) on the western edge of Exmoor; about 10 miles from the north coast of Devon; with a population of about 150 people in 50 dwellings. Challacombe is the highest parish above sea level in North Devon and the source of the rivers Bray and Barle, which start a couple of miles apart but end up nearly 100 miles apart, with the Bray flowing to the north coast of Devon and the Barle flowing all the way to the south coast via the river Exe. Most of the parish is within the protected landscape area of the Exmoor National Park.

BRIEF HISTORY

Challacombe has been occupied for thousands of years. The surrounding hills have standing stones from the Neolithic period; ring barrows from the Bronze Age and a large Iron Age hillfort know as Shoulsbury which offers spectacular views over the Taw estuary. The name Challacombe (from the Saxon for "chilly valley") was first recorded in Domesday in 1086 and referred to a manor at what is now Barton Town. There were three other local Domesday manors; at Wallover, Whitefield and Radworthy; but Challacombe became the most important and the C13th Holy Trinity church built there still dominates the skyline. Barton Town was the medieval focus of the village but in the early C19th the focus moved to East Challacombe, or Challacombe Town. This is the present focus of the village; around the shop, the Methodist Chapel and the unusually named Black Venus Inn. There is a booklet on the history of Challacombe at the local shop and historical information is available online on the Challacombe commumunity website and on John's history website (see white panel below).

WALKS & PLACES TO VISIT

There are lots of interesting walks and places to visit in Challacombe. There is a lovely walk from East Challacombe to Barton Town, which takes in a ford with a footbridge; a packhorse bridge; a beech forest; ancient meadows and the Holy Trinity church, that still retains some of its C13th tower and an early stone font. The tower was recently rendered and the lime plaster is a stunning bright white. Near the church are  some earthwork remains of former houses and an impressive banked road, which now leads nowhere.

On the other side of the valley is the spectacular Shoulsbury hillfort, enclosing about five acres with banks and ditches and containing a Bronze Age barrow, with a Neolithic stone set nearby. By legend it was occupied by St. Petrock in the C6th and defended by Alfred the Great against the Danes in the C9th. It is also possible, given its imposing size and position, its unusual name (perhaps from the Celtic god Sulis and Saxon burh meaning "fortified") and its nearness to the Harepath (the Saxon "war road" across Exmoor) that this is where the Celtic king Geraint was defeated by the Saxons in 710AD.

The highest part of the parish is known as The Chains, at 480 metres above sea level. The great Mesolithic ridgeway across Exmoor, thought to be part of the only continuous ridgeway from England to Cornwall, runs along the top of The Chains, passing numerous groups of Neolithic stone sets and Bronze Age barrows. Below this is Pinkery Pond, source of the river Barle and thought to have been made to feed a canal that was never built; and charming Challacombe reservoir, above which is the source of the river Bray and the abandoned farmstead of Radworthy.

LOCAL FACILITIES & AMENITIES

For a small rural UK community, Challacombe has excellent local amenities. A traditional award winning inn, The Black Venus, serves very good home made food, fine wines and real ales. There is also a friendly shop with a Post Office and local Information Point. The shop stocks a variety of guide books, snacks, groceries and alcohol and you can enjoy a fabulous cream tea in the garden. There is a public telephone outside and cards are available in the shop (some mobile networks are not available in the valley but are accessible on the surrounding hills). Other facilities in the village include Exmoor Cottage Holidays self catering cottages at Town Tenement Farm, bed and breakfast at Twitchen Farm, spa and treatment rooms at Home Place, dog kennels at Twitchen Gate and Webbers Travel, a minibus and taxi service. The Methodist Chapel holds a service every third Sunday of the month.