Porlock & Around

Introducing Porlock & Around

The small village of Porlock is one of the prettiest on the north Exmoor coast, with a huddle of thatched cottages running along its main street all the way to the picturesque breakwater of Porlock Weir, 2 miles to the west. Coleridge’s famous poem Kubla Khan was written during a brief sojourn in Porlock (helped along by a healthy slug of laudanum and a vicious head cold), and the village is still a popular stop-off for summertime tourists, as well as walkers on the Coleridge Way and the South West Coast Path.

The village of Selworthy, 2½ miles east of Porlock, forms part of the 12, 500-acre Holnicote Estate, the largest NT-owned area of land on Exmoor. Though its cob-and-thatch cottages look ancient, in fact the village was almost entirely rebuilt in the 19th century by the local philanthropist and landowner Thomas Acland to provide accommodation for elderly workers on his estate.

Porlock’s visitor centre (863150; www.porlock.co.uk; West End, High St; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun Mar-Nov; 10.30am-1pm Tue-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat Nov-Mar) is a mine of local knowledge, and is also the point of contact for info on the Coleridge Way.

The tiny Dovery Manor Museum (High St; admission free; 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-noon & 2.30-4.30pm Sat May-Oct) is housed in a pretty, 15th-century building, and exhibits artefacts and interesting photos of the village.

Last updated: Sep 19, 2008