Saturday
Today, the plan is to see what the famous village of Lynmouth is all about.
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About Lynmouth
Lynmouth is a small coastal village in North Devon, just across the border from Somerset, where Exmoor’s wooded valleys meet the sea. Nestled at the foot of steep cliffs and connected to its twin village of Lynton by a historic cliff railway, Lynmouth is known for its dramatic scenery and riverside setting. The East Lyn River runs through the heart of the village, and its harbour opens out to views across the Bristol Channel. With its independent shops, walking trails, and connection to the Exmoor coast, Lynmouth offers a delightful day out (assuming you can get parked, which is challenging at best).
A Unliver reunion
We started our day meeting up with former Unilever colleagues James and Sarah – a bit like us, they met and married while working for Unilever. They moved to Minehead around 5 years ago from London. Interestingly, the house they bought was built by the Luttrell family, who have the strong connection with Dunster and 600 years of castle ownership. It was good to reminisce and enjoy Sarah’s wonderful baking!
On to Lynmouth
Its about a half hour drive across spectacular scenery to Lynmouth. The drive over Porlock Hill is one of the steepest (1:4) main roads in the UK, and you the cross the top of Exmoor with beautiful valleys and gorges (Lorna Doone) and views of the sea. The descent into Lynmouth via Countisbury Hill is equally spectacular and thrilling along steep gradients and narrow roads.
Funicular railway
Lynmouth was packed, as can only be expected at Easter. The harbour is enchanting, with small fishing boats bobbing on the water, and dramatic views in the distance of surrounding hills. We decided on a livener at the Rising Sun (https://www.risingsunlynmouth.co.uk/) a charming harbourside pub which boasted a lovely menu.
We decided a trip on the funicular railway was in order, https://www.cliffrailwaylynton.co.uk/. The railway is the highest in the world that is water powered, and ascends to Lynton at the top. It was a lovely ride with amazing views of the harbour and bay as you rise. Lynton is a delight of independent shops, cafe’s and bars. A pint at the Crown Inn (https://www.thecrownlynton.co.uk/) set us up for our decision to walk back down to Lynmouth. Thankfully the walk down was clearly much easier than the walk up, judging by the out of breath and red faced passers by on their way up! Nonetheless, our legs felt very odd by the time we reached the bottom. To finish the trip it seemed rude not to indulge in that most traditional of English seaside activities – fish and chips sat on the esplanade while dodging greedy sea gulls. It was fantastic.
A couple of pints back at the Stags Head in Dunster, and a quiet evening in with family and Mike back at the cottage.
