I think bringing your dog should be fine it was fine for us we just kept him on a lead for most of the time and when there was open paths and fields we decided to let him off the leash. If you are looking for somewhere to eat I would recommend the sportsman inn really cosy inside and offers great food and drink.

Where abouts on Exmoor is your starting point Gillian?

Don't want to be sending you from one side of the area to the other or restaurants not near your accommodation.

Being a large farming community the area is very dog friendly, endless walks of all sorts.

The moorland itself has wild ponies, Red Deer, sheep and cattle grazing so even if you can't see them it is important to keep dogs near you but there are lots of river valley and beach walks where there's even more freedom.

Just - where will you be?

Are there really no walks where you can walk a dog off lead without worrying about him chasing sheep or goats? E.g. Watersmeet? Or Sauton sands beach? Not been to Devon since had a dog but would love to go again.

Gillian

It depends how well-behaved your dog is! There are plenty of areas where it's OK for a dog to be off a lead outside the nesting season (March to July inclusive) - just never in a field with livestock in. Here's some guidance from the National Park:

https://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/enjoying/out-and-about-essentials/dogs

Thank you for this. My little dog (Chihuahua x Jack Russell) is a chaser unfortunately. Not aggressive - slows down if in danger of catching anything but I appreciate that the stress caused by the chasing can be v damaging to livestock & even drive then over cliffs so really want to avoid this! The unfenced sheep thing is the issue...In our area (Kent) livestock are in fenced fields so it's straightforward to to put dog on lead while walking through the field & then let him off confident that a sheep isn't going to pop out behind a tree in an in an un fenced field!

At the risk of causing heated discussion, can I add that it isn’t just livestock in fields whether fenced or un fenced that is an issue. On Friday I was riding my horse along a bridlepath when we were attacked by a dog being walked off lead. It didn’t obey its owners call. I turned off the path onto a busy road and the dog pursued me. If it hadn't been for the car following me allowing me plenty of room, the dog would have been killed. An alternative scenario would have been for the horse to have spooked into a car or for me to have fallen on a busy road.

Sorry if this is off topic but currently there is an increase in owners not knowing how to control their dogs.

Straight answer is that if your dog does not stop and come back to you on command he should not be off a lead anywhere. And even if he does he should be in a lead near livestock.