The hills and woodlands in the immediate neighbourhood provide excellent opportunities for general introductory courses on environmental themes. Habitats include marine, freshwater and heather moorland and the surrounding settlements range from hamlets to villages to the country town of Taunton. Long runs of biological data provide a valuable historical component to many courses. Exmoor offers opportunities to study physical processes such as coasts, soils and vegetation together with the impact of people on the environment and issues affecting the National Park.