Is the Doone Valley from Lorna Doone a real place?

Yes and no. Badgworthy Water and the surrounding valleys are real, but Blackmore rearranged distances, viewpoints, and invented features to suit his story. The 'Doone Valley' marked on Ordnance Survey maps is an approximation that fits the spirit of the novel rather than being forensically accurate to its descriptions.

Can you actually find the waterslide that John Ridd climbed in the book?

Not really. Various small waterfalls and cascades in the area have been proposed as the original, but none match Blackmore's description particularly well. The waterslide was likely a fictional feature or a heavily embellished version of something real.

Is Oare Church from Lorna Doone a real place?

Yes, Oare Church is real and exactly where the book says it is. It's where Lorna is shot during her wedding in the novel, and you can visit it today—there's even a wall memorial tablet to Blackmore inside.

The Exmoor Story

The Doone Valley Problem: When a Novel Creates Geography That Doesn't Quite Exist

R.D. Blackmore set his 1869 novel in a specific Exmoor valley, visitors have been searching for Doone homesteads ever since, and the locations don't quite match the descriptions. The legend outlasted the accuracy.

25 August 20268 min read