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. Exmoor is more precisely defined as the area of the former ancient royal hunting forest, also called Exmoor, which was officially surveyed 1815–1818 as in extent. The moor has given its name to a
National Park, which includes the
Brendon Hills, the
East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and of the
Bristol Channel coast. The total area of the Exmoor National Park is , of which 71% is in Somerset and 29% in Devon.