Valley of Rocks, Exmoor

A dry glacial valley running parallel to the sea, walled by shattered rock pinnacles, with feral goats posing on the skyline — the Valley of Rocks is the most cinematic half-mile on Exmoor. From the air you can stack Castle Rock's pinnacles against a 200-metre drop to the Bristol Channel, with the Welsh coast floating on the horizon on clear days. Crucially for pilots, this is not National Trust land: the valley belongs to the Lynton & Lynmouth manor lands administered by the town council, and Exmoor National Park has no byelaw banning recreational drones, so flown considerately under the Drone Code this is a legitimate spot. Consideration is the operative word — the cliffs and heath are protected habitat, nesting seabirds and the resident goat herd are easily spooked, and the coast path gets busy from mid-morning in season. TOAL from the open grass near the roundabout car park, keep respectful distance from the goats, and avoid low passes along the cliff face in spring. Wind is the technical challenge: the valley alignment funnels westerlies and the seaward wall generates vicious rotor, so climb out over the valley, not the cliff edge. Dawn in autumn, with mist over the Channel, is unbeatable.