I have recently been to Minehead in Somerset for a few days as a birthday treat. Lots of photos were taken, so do take a look!
Minehead Harbour
Derek had booked a lovely apartment overlooking the bay for 5 days, so we were able to spend a lot of time walking, driving along the many coastal roads and inland too. The weather was mixed to say the least! Friday stayed dry until teatime, so we walked along the promenade one way and then turned round and walked back to the harbour.
Derek had his umbrella just in case!
Storm clouds gathering around 5pm
View from our apartment when the tide came in
A welcome glass of wine on the balcony!
I was hoping to sit out on the balcony, but storm clouds dictated otherwise. The obligatory glass of wine was enjoyed albeit with my coat on!
Esplanade Minehead
Saturday morning dawned fair and the sun even came out for a few hours! We drove to Lynton and Lynmouth and spent a pleasant few hours there. Have you been on the Funicular railway that takes you from the bottom of Lynton to the top of Lynmouth? It is the world's highest and steepest completely water powered railway. Take a look at the website for some fascinating facts and history. Here are a couple of paragraphs explaining how the system works.
'The Lift works on a simple balancing principle. The two cars are permanently attached to each other by hauling cables that run around a huge 5ft 6" pulley wheel at the top and the bottom of the tracks. There are four cables in total; two hauling cables that carry the weight of the cars and two tail balancing cables that counteract the weight of the hauling cables.
When each car is ‘docked’ with full water tanks the cars are in balance and are ready for loading. Each tank holds 700 gallons of water. As passengers board, variations are accommodated for by the brakes which clamp the cars to the rails. Each cars brakes will hold the weight of both cars fully laden and the lower car has a water operated locking device which clamps the car to the bottom station. The company was formed in 1888 through an act of Parliament with perpetual rights to extract water from the West Lyn River.'
Lynton
On the Funicular Railway Lynton and Lynmouth
High Street Lynton with railway line in the distance
Ready to get on!
Derek in Lynton
View of the railway
View of Lynmouth Bay
Another view of Lynmouth Bay
Lynmouth High Street
Sunday morning dawned showery and grey, but we decided to drive to Watchet and Blue Anchor Bay. Heavy rain disrupted walking along the beach, so we were hoping to go on the West Somerset Railway for a trip. Unfortunately it was too early in the season and so we drove on to Watchet where a most enjoyable and very reasonably priced Sunday Roast was eaten in The Star Inn. This pub dates back to 1794!
Then it was back to Minehead and we walked along the esplanade. The winds became very strong and we could barely keep our balance, so we didn't stay out long. Just as well as a huge hailstorm soon descended.
A wet morning in Blue Anchor Bay
West Somerset Railway in Blue Anchor Bay
The Star Inn Watchet
Exmoor ponies.
Monday was our last full day and was showery. A drive to Exmoor to catch a glimpse of the many Exmoor ponies was on our itinerary. We drove for miles and miles and saw.......SIX. Better than none at all!
Our final stop was Porlock Weir where we walked along the coastal path for a while. The beach is full of big pebbles and difficult to walk on, so I don't recommend it if you have hip problems. I tried to find a coloured pebble for my sister to add to her collection, but sadly they were all different shades of grey.
Porlock Weir
We drove back to Hereford on Tuesday having enjoyed our time in Somerset. If you have been to this area and would like to recommend any of the many towns and villages, please let me know and I will add them to this article.
