Lynton is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

on the

Exmoor Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath ...

coast in the North Devon district in the county of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England, approximately north-east of Barnstaple and west of Minehead, and close to the confluence of the West Lyn and

East Lyn The East Lyn is a river which rises high in Exmoor, in the English county of Somerset. It flows through the East Lyn Valley in Devon. Watercourse The river is formed as the Upper East Lyn at Malmsmead from two minor tributaries, the Oare ...

rivers.

Governance

Lynton is part of the Lynton and Lynmouth electoral ward whose total ward population at the 2011 census was 1,647. The two communities are governed at local level by Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council.

Location and geography

The two settlements are connected by the

Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway The Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway is a water-powered funicular railway joining the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth on the rugged coast of North Devon in southwest England. Lynton and Lynmouth are separated by a high cliff, making it har ...

. The South West Coast Path and

Tarka Trail The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths (rail trails) around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by the fictional Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It covers a total of in a figure-of-eight route, centred o ...

pass through, and the Two Moors Way runs from

Ivybridge Ivybridge is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about east of Andy Hughes’ new house in Ivybridge now he’s forgotten Ugborough. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a N ...

South Devon South Devon is the southern part of Devon, England. Because Devon has its major population centres on its two coasts, the county is divided informally into North Devon and South Devon.For exampleNorth DevonanSouth Devonnews sites. In a narrower se ...

Lynmouth Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the northern edge of Exmoor. The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge below Lynton, which was the only place to expand to once Lynmouth became as bu ...

. The Samaritans Way South West runs from

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

to Lynton and the Coleridge Way from Nether Stowey to Lynmouth. The Valley of Rocks and Wringcliff Bay are to the west.

History and buildings

The Lyn and Exmoor Museum, Lynton - geograph

Evidence of

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

activity can be found at the nearby Roborough Castle. Lynton's Parish Church of St Mary, stands overlooking the sea, surrounded by shops and hotels. The tower is mainly 13th century but the church itself has been enlarged and altered — most notably in 1741 and in late Victorian/early Edwardian times. Many of the town's buildings were constructed in the latter part of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Lynton Town Hall was given to the town by Sir George Newnes, Bart., a major benefactor of the town; it was opened on 15 August 1900. He also gave the town the United Reformed Church building (originally a Congregational church) on Lee Road.

Twinning

Lynton and Lynmouth are jointly twinned with Bénouville in France.

Transport

Lynton Lynton is a town on the Exmoor coast in the North Devon district in the county of Devon, England, approximately north-east of Barnstaple and west of Minehead, and close to the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers. Governance ...

was once the terminus for the narrow-gauge Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, which served both towns. , Lynton is served by the following bus services: *309/310 Lynton & Lynmouth - Barnstaple (Filers Travel)

Sport

The Lynton & Lynmouth Cricket Club, founded in August 1876, meet at the Valley of Rocks.

Notable people

* Leslie McLean (1918–1987), cricketer

References

External links

* *
Lynton & Lynmouth Town Council
{{authority control Exmoor Towns in Devon Lynton and Lynmouth