The Exmoor Cliffs Cruise: England’s Highest Sea Cliffs Seen from the Water

There is a section of the North Devon coastline that most visitors to the region never see. Not because it is inaccessible, but because the only way to truly appreciate it is from the water. The Great and Little Hangman headlands, part of the Exmoor National Park coast, rise over 300 metres above the sea. Great Hangman, at 318 metres, is the highest sea cliff in England south of Scotland.

The Exmoor Cliffs Cruise aboard the Ilfracombe Princess is built around this coastline. Here is what the trip involves.

What You Will See

Departing from Ilfracombe harbour, the Princess heads west along the coast. Within the first few miles, the character of the coastline changes dramatically. The popular beaches and harbour fronts give way to increasingly wild, uninhabited cliff faces where the Exmoor plateau falls directly into the sea.

Combe Martin Bay provides an early highlight, a sheltered cove backed by a village that runs for over a mile up a single valley, visible from the sea in a way that makes no sense from the road. Beyond it, the Hangman Hills rise to their full height. The scale of the cliff face viewed from a small vessel at its base is genuinely impressive, the kind of perspective that changes how you understand a landscape you thought you knew.

The Wildlife Dimension

The cliff faces along this section of coast are among the most important seabird habitats in the South West. Guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, and kittiwakes nest on the ledges through the summer breeding season. Peregrine falcons patrol the headlands. Grey seals haul out on the rock platforms at the cliff base, visible at close range from the Princess.

The waters along this route are productive for porpoise in summer, and common dolphin pods are encountered periodically, following mackerel shoals inshore.

The Crew Commentary

Throughout the cruise, the Princess crew provide running commentary on the geography, ecology, and history of the coastline. The Exmoor coast has an extraordinary human history: smuggling routes, Victorian lime kiln operations, ancient field systems visible on the cliff tops, and the stories of individual farms and settlements perched at the edge of the plateau.

Practical Details

The Exmoor Cliffs Cruise runs as one of the Princess’s regular scheduled trip routes, typically around two hours in duration. The vessel is comfortable and stable, with both open upper deck and enclosed lower deck seating. The trip is suitable for all ages and abilities. Dogs are welcome on the lower deck.

Check current schedules and book online at ilfracombeprincess.co.uk