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Watchet Accommodation

Watchet's Tourist Office on the harbourfront

Watchet Museum in The Market House near the harbour

Watchet's narrow windy streets are typical of an old fishing town

The Ancient Mariner statue at Watchet harbour - the inspiration for the port in Coleridge's poem

Pleasure craft moored in Watchet harbour

The lighthouse looks out over the limestone bands in Watchet Bay

Watchet is full of seafaring town character

Watchet Boat Museum next to the West Somerset Railway station

Watchet Tourist Information Hotels B&B Accommodation Watchet

Watchet is a small traditional harbour town on the coast north of Taunton in West Somerset. It's a great base from which to explore Exmoor, the Quantock Hills and the surrounding countryside.

Watchet itself is steeped in history and literary connections particularly with the poet Coleridge and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The coast is varied and interesting around Watchet itself with strange looking rocks which hold fossils of prehistoric animals.

Watchet Tourist Information

Watchet is small harbour town on the coast fifteen miles north of Taunton. It lies at the mouth of the River Washford and overlooks Bridgwater Bay. The Quantock Hills rise to the southeast of the town and Exmoor National Park is not far to the west.

Watchet can trace its history back to Celtic times when the legend of Saint Decumen originated. St Decumen's Church still stands today on the site of a pre-christian church above Watchet where a spring of fresh water dedicated to the Saint still runs. Literary links include Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Daniel Defoe is said to have been fascinated by the fossils and geology of the bay at Watchet. A good way of exploring the town is by following the Watchet Heritage Trail. This takes you by the harbour and the oldest part of the town where past industries including cloth manufacture, foundries, saw mills and paper mills.

Watchet is a friendly, welcoming seaside town with plenty to keep you occupied. The narrow streets appear to have changed very little and it still has the feel of a traditional fishing community. There is lots of parking at various places around the town. Pubs, cafes and restaurants provide a good choice of eateries.

The Tourist Information Centre is centrally located on the esplanade at 8 The Esplanade, Watchet TA23 0AJ. Tel: 01984 632101. Fax: 01984 633344. Email: tourism@watchettowncouncil.org

Watchet Market House Museum and Watchet Boat Museum

Watchet's Market House Museum is housed in the terracotta building near the esplanade. Displays trace the history of the town the museum hosts a variety of events and talks throughout the year. For more information contact the Curator on 01984 631209 or the Consultant Curator on 01984 631345.

The Museum is open daily from Easter weekend to the end of October from 10.30am-4.30pm. Watchet Market House Museum, Market Street, Watchet TA23 0AN. Tel: 01984 631345.

Watchet Boat Museum tells the story of Flatners - a traditional double ended boat used widely in Somerset. There are examples of the boat, artefacts, photographs and charts. The museum is housed in the Old Goods Shed built in 1862 next to the railway.

The museum is open from Easter to the end of September, 2-4pm on Tues- Thurs, Sat-Sun. Admission is free but is run by volunteers so donations are welcomed.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Wordsworth claimed that Coleridge was inspired to write The Rime of the Ancient Mariner on a walk through the Quantocks with his sister and Wordsworth in the spring of 1798. Other claims are that he was inspired while visiting Watchet itself or that Watchet Harbour is the port from which the Ancient Mariner set sail. Either way there is a strong connection between Coleridge, Watchet and the Quantock Hills in Somerset. In 2003 a sculpture of the Ancient Mariner with the albatross hung around his neck was unveiled beside Watchet Harbour as a tribute to the poet.

Coleridge lived in Nether Stowey (about 10 miles east of Watchet) on the western side of the Quantocks for some time. The National Trust now own the cottage he lived in and run it as a small museum displaying some of his personal mementoes. It was here that the Rime of the Ancient Mariner was written. Coleridge Cottage, 35 Lime Street, Nether Stowey, Bridgwater, Somerset TA5 1NQ. Telephone: 01278 732662. Email: coleridgecottage@nationaltrust.org.uk

You can also pick up The Coleridge Way from the cottage. This is a 36 mile long distance walking trail across the Quantock and Brendon Hills, Exmoor and ending in Porlock. Check the weblinks right for more information.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is one of Coleridge's longest poems and mixes the supernatural with the trials of deep sea voyage. Along with Coleridge's other poems published in "Lyrical Ballads" in 1798 it is regarded the beginnings of British Romantic literature and a shift to modern poetry. It is a fantastic poem on epic proportions and is loved the world over. Unusual homages paid include Iron Maiden's song of the same name!

Watchet Somerset Carnivals

Watchet has its own carnival and is usually held on the last Sunday in July. They usually organise a music festival weekend around their carnival procession so there's all sorts of events on around the carnival itself.

Watchet Carnival Club also run a Christmas Illumination Competition so you'll find many streets and houses ablaze with lights that help to create a festive atmosphere.

It's a fun night out for all the family and you can help raise funds for charities or the clubs for the next year's entry. Thousands attend carnivals, so watch out as parking can get very limited on carnival nights and town centres can often be cut off to traffic during the carnival.

Check the weblink right for this year's carnival and past carnival photographs.

Watchet Geology Fossils - Blue Anchor Bay - Doniford Bay

The cliffs and bays at and around Watchet are of interest for their geology. When the tide's out you'll see the bands of limestone that have been eroded by the sea into wave patterns on the sea bed.

The cliffs around the bays have yielded an interesting array of fossils. Reptile remains and ammonites have often been found at Watchet.

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