The picturesque Badgeworthy Water valley
with its rhododendron bushes.
Badgeworthy Water, featured in the book as the home of the Doone's, is
probably one of Exmoor's loveliest valley's. It is high, sometimes spartan
moorland, rising above gorse and tree clad hills that give it a gloomy,
daunting appearance. A short distance away from Badgeworthy Water is the
village of Oare.
Badgworthy ('Badgery') Water- the most renowned of Exmoor's smaller rivers,
it merges with Oare Water to become the East Lyn
Interestingly, Blackmore,
whose father was vicar of the parish for almost forty years, chose the
village as the setting for Lorna
Doone's wedding. The church commemorates R.D.Blackmore and
both village and church attract followers of the book.
Badworthy Water near Calnnacombe Plantation
On the banks of Badgworthy Water are the minor traces of at least 12 buildings - the remains of a Medieval village from 700 years ago. A few stony banks are all that is left of a scatter of houses and barns set within terraced fields. The village was abandoned in the 1400's.
In Badgworthy now (also known as Doone Village) the cottage here was last inhabited in the 1930’s. When the shepherd in residence was taken ill it was necessary to carry him the two miles to Brendon Two Gates, the nearest point the ambulance could get to the remote cottage.
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