Porlock Tourist Information

Porlock Tourist Guide & Attractions

Porlock is one of the typical Exmoor villages, below the Exmoor hills on the way to the coast. It lies five miles west of Minehead and is a pretty village with historic buildings and thatched cottages with a good choice of holiday accommodation, cafes, pubs and shops. You can buy Exmoor reared meat and game at the butcher's or take a break from one of the walks nearby for a cuppa and cream tea.

The buildings either side of the main road through the village is the oldest part of Porlock with some buildings over 500 years old. Many of the buildings are made of stone that was quarried locally. The Ship Inn at Porlock dates from the twelfth century and is still going strong. Around Porlock itself you'll find plenty of picturesque villages many with the traditional thatched roofs such as Horner village, Selworthy and Bossington. Heading towards the coast from Porlock will take you to Porlock Bay, a wide sweep of shingle beach where you'll come to the pretty hamlet of Porlock Weir.

Porlock has its own Visitor Centre independently run by the Porlock Tourist Association. It has a wealth of information on local activities, places to visit and sells maps, books and local crafts. Guided walks around Exmoor often leave from the centre and the staff organise a range of events throughout the year. There are also some interpretive displays on local interests such as the discovery of Aurochs bones on Porlock Beach in 1999. They are open seven days a week between April and November and half days on Tues-Sat throughout the rest of the year.

Porlock Visitor Centre, The Old School, West End, High Street, Porlock, Somerset TA24 8QD. Tel: 01643 863150. Fax: 01643 863014. Email: porlockci@somerset.gov.uk

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Porlock Hill

Porlock Hill is renowned for its steepness and hairpin bends. It rises 400 feet in under two miles with a gradient of 1 in 4! Quite an entrance to Porlock from the west. Alternatively you can take the scenic toll road which is slightly less steep and has fantastic views of the coast.

Locally Porlock Hill is one of several steep roads like at Lynton and Lynmouth, along the coast in Devon. However, if you're not used to it you'll need to take care and keep in a low gear. There have been many accidents over the years when vehicles' brakes have failed and crashed at the bottom. It's a fantastic experience and should be done at least once.

In 1899 gales prevented the Lynmouth lifeboat from being launched to rescue the crew of The Forrest Hall in trouble in the storms out to sea. A heroic feat was undertaken when the Lynmouth lifeboat men hauled the lifeboat to Porlock - over land! The boat weighed 10 tons and it took one hundred men and twenty horses to haul the boat fifteen miles in just over ten hours. When they reached Porlock, via the treacherous steep hill, the lifeboat crew had to row the boat for over an hour despite being exhausted themselves to rescue the crew of the Forrest Hall which they did.

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Walks from Porlock

Porlock is an excellent base for walks into Exmoor. There is a network of public footpaths in and around Porlock itself which will lead you to the coast or up into the hills of Exmoor.

Porlock is famed for providing the man who interrupted Samuel Taylor Coleridge when he was writing Kubla Khan meaning that he forgot his dream on which it was based and the poem remained unfinished! You can pick up The Coleridge Way from Porlock. It is a 36 mile long distance walking trail across the Quantock and Brendon Hills, Exmoor and ending in Porlock. You can do the whole route or just take the Porlock to Wheddon Cross route which will take you through the Exmoor section. Check the weblinks right for more information.

The 638 mile South West Coast Path runs through Porlock Weir on the coast. You can link into this for both short or long walks. The weblink right gives further comprehensive information.

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Exmoor Safaris, Cycling and Mountain Biking

If you'd rather be guided around Exmoor, which can give you some shortcuts to finding out about the wildlife, archaeology farming history and historic buildings, then a tour of Exmoor by 4x4 might be the ticket.

Discovery Safaris are based in Porlock and offer a range of different tours typically taking in some of Exmoor's best known sites such as Tarr Steps, Lorna Doone Valley or this historic villages of east Exmoor. Tours last around two and a half hours. Check the link right for more information or contact: Discovery Safaris at Antlers, The High Street, Porlock, Somerset TA24 8PS. Tel: 01643 863444. Email: discoverysafaris@aol.com

The Exmoor White Horse Inn in Exford also run safaris along similar lines taking up to eight people at a time. Concessions are available for senior citizens or a family ticket for two adults and two children offers some savings. Telephone 01643 831229 or 01643 8311112 to book. The Exmoor White Horse Inn, Exford, Exmoor National Park, West Somerset TA24 7PY.

If you prefer to explore under your own steam check out the Pedal around Porlock leaflet available from the Visitor Centre. This is a circular route around Porlock Vale covering just under eight miles. For more challenging mountain biking Exmoor has some good off-road routes from easy to expert. Leaflets are available of mountain bike routes around Exmoor and can be obtained from Visitor Centres or online from the Exmoor National Park website, links right.

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