Your questions answered about
Visitor Management
in Exmoor National Park
Background
Visitors have been coming to Exmoor to walk and to enjoy the romantic scenery for more than 200 years. There are no figures available to show how many people were holidaying on Exmoor in the 1930s but the impression is that there were as many then as there have been since Exmoor became a national park in 1954. However the pattern of visitor behaviour has changed a great deal. Sixty years ago visitors came to Exmoor by train, took a bus to their destination, stayed in that area for a week or a fortnight and spent their time walking or riding or going on excursions by bus to places of particular interest. Now many visitors come to Exmoor by car just for a day out or a short break before moving on elsewhere.
The Park Purposes
Getting people to visit Exmoor is not one of the things that the National Park Authority (NPA) has to do. From the beginning national parks have had two main purposes and these were endorsed by the 1995 Environment Act:
- to conserve and enhance die natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the special areas (Conservation)
and
- to promote opportunities for the under-standing and enjoyment of the special qualities of those areas by the public (Recreation).
Generally these two purposes go hand in hand but occasionally they do clash. If agreement is to be reached then nature conservation has to take priority over recreation. For example, groups of riders organised by commercial riding stables were causing erosion to paths on North Hill, Minehead, through overuse. The Park Head Ranger negotiated a new, more sustainable route to be used by the riders. Until recently an old wooden cafe stood prominently on little Hangman above Wild Pear Beach and although many visitors welcomed the opportunity for rest and refreshment on their walk, the cafe was a real blot on the landscape. When the National Trust who owned the land decided to have the cafe removed the NPA supported their action.
Although park authorities are also concerned with the social and economic well - being of local communities this is not a statutory purpose.
Policies concerning Tourism
Promoting tourism is not a duty of the NPA. Involvement with tourism is in order to steer it towards NP purposes. The duty is to educate visitors, both to help them enjoy themselves by getting the most out of their visit, and to protect Exmoor. Hopefully they will want to protect what they enjoy!
When it comes to tourism the main aim of the NPA is to encourage the most sustainable aspects of tourism, those which have the least adverse effect on the environment, while benefiting the local community and economy It also aims to spread the benefits of tourism right across the Park and through different sectors of the community and encourages efforts to extend the tourist season and provide employment in winter months which will help to reduce seasonal employment. As part of its statutory obligations it aims to promote quiet enjoyment of natural resources, for example, walking and riding, as opposed to rally driving. These policies are set out us full in the Exmoor National Park Plan 1991- 96.
The Exmoor National Park Local Plan (1994) sets out planning policies which seek to encourage appropriate tourism development in suitable locations while at the same time resisting proposals that would harm the character of Exmoor. More details of these policies and some examples are set out in Questex 5
Management on the ground
Students often want to know how visitors are 'managed within the National Park'. Management conjures up a vision of Martin Brittas, in the television series The Brittas Empire, organising people, ordering them about, telling them what to do and generally being very officious. Management of visitors in the national park is not like that at all. It is a much more subtle process.
The ENPA sets out to achieve its objectives by:
- working together with many different organisations and individuals
- interpreting Exmoor to as many people as possible
- trying to influence people so that their attitudes and behaviour help to sustain Exmoor for the future
Marketing
This influence begins before people ever arrive with the marketing of Exmoor. Working together with various tourist organisations the National Park Authority tries to ensure that all promotional brochures and publicity for accommodation give the right messages, encouraging people to avoid the peak season where possible and to use public transport to get about. Exmoor is presented as an ideal place for walking and cycling holidays and not for rowdy activities.
By avoiding photographs of overcrowded honeypots and including details of other equally attractive but less busy or vulnerable sites, visitors are encouraged to visit places capable of sustaining larger visitor numbers than at present.
Getting About
The dreaded motor car
About 93% of visitors travel to Exmoor, and about it, in their cars. They block the narrow country roads, make reversing an essential skill, cause air and noise pollution and generally detract from the quiet and peace of the open countryside. In an ideal world people would leave their cars on the edges of Exmoor and travel on to the moor by public transport, cycling or walking but most people are not yet ready for such a drastic policy.
Directional signs are an important management tool used to influence traffic on Exmoor. Signs right back on the motorway direct through traffic to Devon and Cornwall and away from Exmoor. They also direct traffic coming to Exmoor via main routes. On Exmoor itself traffic is signed along the main routes. By avoiding signing certain roads traffic is encouraged away from particularly narrow and tortuous routes. Near some honeypots an informal one-way system is encouraged where possible. See Questex 6.
Public transport
The NPA tries to limit the number of cars brought onto Exmoor by supporting public transport. The Authority is working with the County and District Councils to develop a range of bus services linking many parts of Exmoor with nearby towns such as Taunton, Minehead, Exeter, Barnstaple and Tiverton. Information and details of walks of varying lengths linking with bus routes are included in the timetables encouraging people to leave their cars outside the moor in safe car parks and use buses to reach their destinations.
Footpaths
A similar policy is followed with footpaths and other rights of way. People are encouraged to use the most resistant routes by careful sign-posting and way-marking of footpaths and bridleways. Walks leaflets not only inform walkers about the routes but encourage
people to keep to the signed paths. If problems of overuse develop on a footpath the rangers will see that the problem is dealt with as quickly as possible, if necessary diverting people from problem areas for a while.
Honeypots
Honeypots are those places where visitors tend to congregate. By providing facilities such as car parks, picnic tables and toilets all in one place at these sites the NPA tries to limit their impact on the landscape.
Working Together
National park authorities work closely with many other organisations concerned with tourism. A set of principles has been worked out between the Countryside Commission representing the national parks and the tourist boards of England and Wales. These aim to meet tourists' needs while protecting national parks now and for the future.
These guidelines are concerned with conservation, enjoyment, the rural economy, development and design and marketing and can be found set out in full in Tourism in National Parks (see Resources section).
Exmoor National Park Authority works with a variety of organisations which include:
- Devon and Somerset County Councils
- West Somerset and North Devon District Councils
- Parish Councils
- West Country Tourist Board
- Farm Holidays Group
- Exmoor Area Tourism Advisory Group
- Rural Development Commission
The NPA works with County Councils over the road system. The County Councils provide the signing which will keep through traffic away from the moor while their Highways Departments are involved in road planning. They also provide some of the funding for public transport. County structure plans lay down guidelines for tourism development e.g. camp and caravan sites on the North Devon coast.
The NPA works with tourism organisations giving advice on marketing to ensure a sympathetic approach to Exmoor; for example making sure that publicity brochures present the right images and messages. The NPA works with EATAG to produce the free brochure, Become an Exmoor Visitor. Recently the NPA has supported the tourism organisations in applying for European funding for projects designed to boost the local economy while working to sustain Exmoor for the future.
The Exmoor Producers' Association is a good example of a successful partnership in which the NPA has acted as a catalyst to help tourism support local industry. The Association was instigated in 1994 at a seminar, Exmoor and the Visitor, organised by the ENPA. The initiative was launched by the Rural Development Commission and the ENPA in March 1995 and its aim is to bring together producers of a wide range of goods in the Exmoor area for networking and marketing purposes. The RDC and the NPA's aim in this project is to sustain and develop the local economy and link it to the special environment which is Exmoor.
By March 1996 there were 63 members producing goods ranging from bespoke furniture made from Exmoor timber to pottery and preserves. Benefits of membership include entry on an alphabetical list of producers and in a directory circulated widely in the area and targeted at retail and tourist outlets. The directory describes the wide range of goods produced on Exmoor, some taking their inspiration from the landscape, some using local materials and all contributing to a greater or lesser degree to the economic well-being of the area.
Understanding and Enjoyment
One of the most important aspects of the management of visitors is that of helping them to understand and enjoy Exmoor's special qualities. The NPA believes that once a person begins to enjoy Exmoor and understands how vulnerable Exmoor is then he or she will want to look after it. Take a simple example. Noise frightens away wild animals. if people want to see red deer then they must be learn be quiet.
Interpreting Exmoor to help people understand and appreciate it is tackled in many different ways. There are displays at the five NATIONAL PARK CENTREs at Combe Marlin, County Gate, Dulverton, Dunster and Lynmouth; guides to walks and cycle rides; interpretation boards at some of the more popular sites and specialised educational material for schools. All seek not only to inform but to encourage people to visit the most appropriate places and enjoy those things intrinsic to the moor; views, wildlife, open countryside.
Assessment of management
Because of the nature of management within the National Park it is often difficult to assess whether measures are working or not.
One of the easier measures to assess is the public transport service. Numbers of people travelling by bus are recorded and future transport plans are based on those numbers. It is much harder to assess the outcome of education and interpretation. People who study a display in a NATIONAL PARK CENTRE or buy a guide may use and enjoy it at the time but may not absorb its messages or remember them for long.
At the moment Exmoor is able to cope with its visitors although honeypots may be over-crowded for a few weeks in summer. Most people enjoy appropriate quiet activities. This may indicate that the NPA's subtle management measures are working.
More detailed studies
Any detailed study of the management of visitors on Exmoor will involve at least one visit to the moor and it is important that any such study is undertaken with this in mind. If the study includes a survey of visitors then both the site and the timing of the survey needs careful consideration. A survey taken at a honeypot site on a Saturday in high summer will produce quite different results from a survey taken in early June or October.
The results of some studies might help the NPA in its management of visitors. For example:
- why people decide to use public transport on Exmoor.
- how National Park publications or displays influence the activities of visitors.
- If you are interested in pursuing a study of this kind please contact the Education Ranger.
Resources available from Exmoor House
Please address requests in the first instance to:
The Education Officer:
Exmoor National Park Department, Exmoor House, Dulverton, Somerset. TA22 9HL
- Exmoor National Park Plan 1991-1996 and Exmoor National Park Local Plan 1994 set out the Park policies relating to tourism. Photocopies of appropriate pages are available on request.
- Details of up-to-date statistics relating to tourism on Exmoor can be found in Questex 2.
- Public Transport Guide for Exmoor and West Somerset. Includes map, timetables and related information.
- Exmoor Producers' Association directory.
Resources available from elsewhere
- Tourism in National Parks a guide to good practice. available from the Countryside Commission, John Dower House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL5O 3RA
- The National Trust, Holnicote Estate, Selworthy, Minehead, TA24 8TJ Can provide information relevant to management of tourism on the Estate.
- West Country Tourist Board, Trinity Court, 27 Southernhay Fast, Exeter, Devon EXl 1QS hold statistics relating to tourism in the West of England. Please ask for leaflet, Facts of Tourism. They cannot answer individual queries.