Our first stop today was at Tarr Farm, a beautiful inn dating from the 1600s based in the heart of the Exmoor National Park right by the historic Tarr Steps on the River Barle. This grey-stone inn is tucked into a remote valley, directly above a gushing river and medieval bridge. The inn has a homely restaurant where we enjoyed great coffee and cake while relaxing at the tables on the lawn!
Great Apple Juice to start my day!!!
We strolled the property and went to the Tarr Steps on the River Barle. A section of an ancient footbridge has washed away following heavy rain. Slabs from the middle of the Tarr Steps on Exmoor washed downstream during recent flooding in Somerset. The structure is an ancient "clapper bridge" over the River Barle - slabs arranged over stacks of stones without using mortar or cement. The Tarr Steps are believed to date back to the medieval period, although some historians believe there has been a structure in the spot as far back as the Bronze Age.
The views of Exmoor National Park with the forest and the pastures are gorgeous from Tarr Farm. We even spotted a black pony in one of the pastures.
Into the car for our next 20-mile leg to visit Dunster Castle. Dunster Castle is positioned on a steep, high hill --- now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset. The castle was expanded several times during the 17th and 18th centuries, building a large manor house within the Lower Ward of the castle in 1617 and this was extensively modernized, first during the 1680s and then during the 1760s. The medieval castle walls were mostly destroyed following the siege of Dunster Castle at the end of the First English Civil War, when Parliament ordered the defenses to be slighted to prevent their further use. In the 1860s and 1870s a remodel to the castle was done to fit Victorian tastes; this work extensively changed the appearance of Dunster to make it appear more Gothic and Picturesque.
Ray opening the door for us ... hahaha!!!
The canons are still in position to protect this fortress!
The interior of the home is just as spectacular. Carved wood on chairs, benches, tables and more. The detail shows the time that it must take to get these wonderful pieces.
It always thrills me to look out the windows and see gardens, countryside and villages from that unique view.
The most famous visitor to Dunster Castle came in 1879, when the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) stayed at the house for two days of hunting on Exmoor. The local paper reported that 8,000-10,000 hunt followers met the royal party on the first day, with 2,000 of them being mounted!
King Charles Bedroom - Dunster Castle was a Royalist stronghold during the Civil War. This bedroom takes it name from the future King Charles II who as Prince of Wales reputedly slept here in 1645, when trying to raise support for the Royalist cause in the West Country. It is said to be one of the most haunted rooms in the castle.
Behind the wall opposite the chimneypiece is a short hidden passage. There are tales of secret stairs leading to a passageway which emerged near the stables, however no-one knows for sure.
So many books in the sitting room / library.
The indoor conservatory is packed with luscious plants.
Many rooms with many beautiful things to look at. I could have taken hundreds of pictures but prefer the memories and a rest for picture taking! We exited through a back door and took in the castle's grounds and other views of the exterior of this fine building. Sheep grazing in the pasture!
From the castle we strolled down the hill to the Medieval Dunster Village. It is lovely and for us, typical quaint English village.
Ray wanted us to see the historic Dunster Yarn Market in the center of the village. It is one of the unique structures that is on calendars and in books that promote tourism of Great Britian. The Yarn Market is a covered market for the sale of local broadcloth and homespuns. Built in 1609 by George Luttrell of Dunster Castle and repaired in 1647 according to the date on the weathervane. Now that's OLD!
From the village looking up at Dunster Castle.
What a wonderful visit we had here in Dunster. On the agenda next was to drive a little inland from the Bristol Channel about 15 minutes or so to the lovely Selworthy which is a timeless rural landscape of thatched cottages, a fine medieval church and winding walks. There are sweeping views from here across the vale to the high mooreland rising to Dunkery Beacon, Exmoor's highest point.
Blessed with a wealth of superb thatched cottages and a beautiful old church, Selworthy Green is the very epitome of an English country village. It occupies a magnificent setting in the Exmoor National Park.
This is the typical English lane (or what some may call a narrow road) that are in the countryside. To us, barely enough room for one car. At fairly hidden curves, the driver honks the car horn in hopes that if there is an oncoming car that it will not be a surprise. Pulling over to allow an oncoming car to pass means practically being in the side hedges and having about 3 to 5 inches between the cars! Hats off to all of the country-side drivers in England!
Here in Selworthy is the distinctive whitewashed church of All Saints looking out over the vale. It has a Norman font and a fourteenth century tower.
This “jewel of a village'” is not as ancient as it first appears. It was in fact built as late as 1828 when, on a whim the old Selworthy was pulled down by Sir Thomas Acland of Killerton, who decided to rebuild with suitable housing to meet the needs of the elderly folk living on the Holnicote estate. It was his intension that the buildings should be sympathetically designed, retaining the charm and atmosphere of a bye-gone era - this Sir Thomas did in full measure and using only traditional materials he created a place of rare enchantment that is in perfect harmony with the 15th-century church of All Saints. The church tower dates from the 14th-century and the roof is a cherished example of fine wood carving.
Doesn't this one look like the cottage from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?
Large baking ovens are attached to the chimneys inside the cottages.
Selworthy's Great War 1914-1918 Memorial: To the Glory of God and in Memory of the Great War
Just some beautiful pictures of the area. Love the hedge dividers of the fields.
We drove though the Village of Bossington. It is more typical for this part of England but unusual in most instances of what is normal. Bossington lies on the edge of Exmoor with fantastic views overlooking Porlock Bay. Most of the cottages are built of stone under a tiled roof and in Bossington nearly all have the tall chimney that is traditional of these parts. Tall chimneys are a feature or the cottages in the villages and hamlets in this part of Exmoor. They were designed to keep sparks away from the thatched roofs.
We strolled though some beautiful paths on the National Trust property.
Arriving at the Porlock Weir Hotel where we were booked for our evening accommodations, we checked in and then took a little walk around the immediate area across the street where the Bristol Channel runs.
The port has existed for more than a thousand years. The tides are followed closely as the boats docked in the water become land locked as the tide goes out. It is remarkable how great of a difference the tides make here! Another interesting fact here in Porlock Weir is looking across the channel to the north is Wales!
After breakfast on Saturday morning, we started our day by looking though a couple of shops and walking the shore of Porlock Weir. They we stopped at another historic church, St.Nicholas. From the internet, this description is given of St. Nicholas Church: St. Nicholas Church in Porlock Weir is a typical “tin tabernacle” of 1880. It probably dates from the late 19th century and little altered. An appraisal states that "most of these buildings arrived in pre-fabricated kit form and were shipped throughout the Empire - this example almost certainly came in by sea."
Next we were off to the Cliff Railway in Lynton & Lynmouth! The twin villages of Lynton and Lynmouth are situated on the coast of Exmoor National Park in North Devon. Lynton stands above the harbor village of Lynmouth nestling beneath the cliffs to which it is connected by the water-powered funicular railway, the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway.
In 1952 it was the scene of the devastating Lynmouth flood when overnight over 100 buildings and 28 bridges were destroyed, 35 people died with a further 420 made homeless.
We parked in Lynmouth, the lower village, and boarded the completely water powered Cliff Railway to ride to the top of the hill and exit in Lynton. The railway opened in 1890.
The multi-award winning and famous Lynton and Lynmouth funicular Cliff Railway opened in 1890 and is the highest and the steepest totally water powered railway in the world! A funicular is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track. The result of such a configuration is that the two carriages move synchronously: as one ascends, the other descends at an equal speed.
The section of track that has a wider separation is where the cars pass each other, one going up while the other goes down the hill. As they are permanently attached at each end and synchronized, they always pass this spot at exactly the same time. The two carriages are mounted over 700 gallon water tanks and linked together via a cable and pulley. The tank in the top carriage is filled with water and the water is released from the carriage at the bottom so the heavier top carriage pulls the lighter one up.
View from the top in the village of Lynton.
In Lyndon, this beautiful iron gateway welcomes all to the Cliff Railway to ride down to Lynmouth.
One of the narrow streets in Lyndon going down to walk the Esplanade to walk the shore and "sight see" the many areas that the village offers.
Shops and the shore ... so much fun just looking!
With the tide out, the little captain man standing on the sand and gravel waiting to float once again when the tide comes in later today!
On the Esplanade is a unique structure named The Rhenish Tower. Built by General Rawdon in the late 1850's to store salt water for indoor baths, the tower was damaged in the 1952 flood and a replica, which you see now, was rebuilt in 1954. The name comes from the fact it is an imitation of the lookout towers on the Rhine. It also served as a beacon with a tar-barrel flare to warn mariners and fishermen, this was later replaced with an electric white light which could be seen for ten miles.
Another unique piece on display on the Esplanade is "The Walker" sculpture. This celebrates the twin cities promotion of Exmoor's long-distance hiking trails in this area.
It was delightful to visit Lynton and Lynmouth with the added thrill of riding the The Cliff Railway. We learned quite a bit of history here ... well I guess we do in all of our stops! On our way back home to Yeoford we stopped for our afternoon coffee and cake at Arlington Court, another member if The National Trust. As they were closing in about an hour, we had our afternoon tea and decided to skip visiting the house. We decided that visiting the Carriage Museum would be a better choice for us today. The home was built from 1820 to 1823; from the outside looks spectacular and we are sure that the interior is up to that same standard.
From the country house to the carriage stables was a pleasant walk of about 15 minutes through the property. The grounds are manicured and fabulous looking. Everything is kept up so well!
After the first carriages were donated to the National Trust it was decided in 1966 to create a representative collection of British carriages, as they were starting to become a very rare commodity. Despite the stables and loft being converted into exhibition spaces for carriages, the collection soon outgrew the available space. In 2003 a modern extension was built, but even this new wing soon filled up. The National Trust now has over 40 private vehicles on display in the museum, mostly dating from the nineteenth century. The collection includes carriages of the wealthy and aristocracy, coachman-driven vehicles, owner-driven carriages, more informal carriages.
There are many more carriages in the museum ... some are for one, some have seats for the servants, some are fancy, some are every day. The collection is beautiful. The stables are pristine with tack rooms to match. A most enjoyable stop!
Walking back through the property, we passed St. James Church which is not part of the National Trust even though it appears to be on the same property. The signs said that it was presently closed so we just admired the beauty of this magnificent building from the outside as we passed by.
Returning to our home-away-from-home, Sandra and Ray's Owls Retreat we rested up a little before walking down to The Duck for dinner. It was an exquisite meal once again. Before leaving, we got to meet Chef James and once again talk with wife Sarah. They are a lovely couple who run a 5-star pub! Since being home we have read that they were winners of the Muddy Stilettos Devon award for Best Destination Pub. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving couple or pub!
The complete photo album is at this link.
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