THE public are being invited to experience the ‘hidden gems’ of Exmoor’s White Rock Cottage and Ashcombe Gardens, Simonsbath, later this month.

Two open days will provide opportunities for people to discover the remarkable past of this piece of Exmoor National Park and join in exploring its future.

White Rock Cottage, sat high on Exmoor is the remains of a little cottage, reminiscent of a Scottish croft, which was built in 1819.

It forms a centrepiece of Ashcombe’s lost ‘picturesque’ valley garden which was begun in 1820, a remarkable late Georgian-designed landscape created by the Knight family, from Worcestershire.

The gardens are currently being gently restored with hundreds of trees planted and the first of several bridges being built this year.

They lie at the heart of a wider, dramatic moorland landscape – the old Royal Forest of Exmoor, and is now the focus of a five-year programme being developed by the national park authority called ‘Exmoor Pioneers’.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a legacy, it will enrich nature, care for the past, foster the skills needed to keep this landscape special and tell the stories of the people who came to the area in the 1800s to begin new lives in this ‘frontier’ landscape.

A national park spokesperson said: “Come and discover more about this. We would love to hear your thoughts about it, and for you to help shape the programme.

“At this event you will be able to look round White Rock Cottage and discover its story, see the newly-opened display about the artist Sir Alfred Munnings and his connection with Exmoor, have a tour of Ashcombe Gardens, and take the opportunity to learn more about the ‘Exmoor Pioneers’ programme and shape its future.”

The open days, which are free to attend and do not need to be booked, will be on Friday and Saturday 15 September 15 and 16 from 10 am to 4 pm.

Although entry is free, the park authority would welcome donations to its CareMoor for Exmoor charity, more information about which can be found here.