Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: Dunster

Showing posts with label Dunster. Show all posts

Autumn in Somerset

I've done some daft things in my time but I think driving all the way down to Somerset for a weekend stay was near the top of the list. I have wanted to visit the area in autumn for some time due to its many areas of deciduous woodland and I suppose the uncertainty of the past two years has given me the inclination to just go and do things, mainly because you just don't know what the future may hold.

I'd have loved for Sal to have come with me but she wasn't in a position to do so, consequently I just bit the bullet, booked three nights in the excellent Dunster Castle Hotel, packed my bag and set off!

I had an itinerary worked out, I wanted to go to Tarr Steps, Watersmeet near Lynmouth and go for a walk in Horner Woods near Porlock. In the end I only managed one out of three but the things I did do, more than compensated.

On the way down I stopped off in Watchet just to say hello to the place. Me and Sal have started staying there every year and we use it as a base to tour Somerset and parts of Devon. Its a friendly little town with some cracking pubs, a great little deli, is home to The West Somerset Railway and, if you are lucky, gives the best sunsets imaginable.

I then travelled a few more miles down the road to Dunster and settled in to my hotel before going down to Minehead for a walk along the seafront. Unbeknownst to me there was an event on at Butlins so all the holidaymakers were arriving which meant I was stuck in a traffic jam for ages which I found quite ironic as I had travelled half the length of the country and had no trouble at all with traffic until then.

On my first full day, I didn't get to Tarr Steps (see Tarr Steps), due to drizzle and basically miserable weather, but I compensated for that by going for a lovely walk in Whits Wood at Nutcombe Bottom, which was only a couple of miles from Dunster and then, in the late afternoon, went to Porlock Weir where I sat out in the drizzle and had a very enjoyable coffee.

On my other full day, I did go to Horner where I parked up and did a short walk but didn't venture far in to the woods as I wanted to go to Watersmeet, Lynmouth and Watchet. There are only so many hours in a day, especially at this late time of year, so something had to give.

The weather was kind to me all day, which meant that the autumn colours at Watermeet was just spectacular. It is the meeting place of Exmoor's East Lyn River and Hoar Oak Water and from there they flow through a steep wooded valley to The Bristol Channel at Lynmouth.

I then drove in to Lynmouth where I parked up and went in search of some food. The only place I found was an ice cream takeaway which was doing hot Cornish pasties. Not feeling very confident, I bought one and to my surprise it was absolutely lovely.

Still having an hour or so's light left in the day, I drove back to Watchet and visited the new East Quay Arts development which has proved very controversial with the locals. The construction is, to say the least, different and not traditional in any way shape or form but I really liked it and managed to have a coffee there just before it closed. I have added a few photos to the end of the blog you get an idea of what it is like.

And that is my weekend in a nutshell. I enjoyed myself, fit lots in but I missed Sal's company.The autumn colours certainly lived up, and even exceeded my expectations. I called in to Watchet the next morning, bought a sandwich and Scotch egg from Sam's Deli and hit the road back up North.

Nutcombe Botton

Whits Wood, Dunster

Autumn Leaves, Dunster

Hartcleave Plantation, Exmoor

Dulverton

Hartcleave Plantation, Exmoor

Horner Wood, Porlock

Horner Water

West Luccombe Farm

Packhorse Bridge, Horner

Horner Wood

Packhorse Bridge, Horner

Porlock Bay from Exmoor

Watersmeet

Horner's Neck Wood, Lynmouth

Watersmeet

East Quay

Watchet Sunset

Dunster and England's Tallest Tree

We went to Dunster the last time we were in Somerset but mainly spent our time exploring the castle and its gardens. This wasn't an option this time as the gardens were open but the castle was closed to visitors. Instead, we had a more detailed look around the old medieval town and discovered a couple of its hidden gems.

First things first though. Before any sort of exploration is commenced, a good strong coffee is needed and this was provided by Tessa's Tea Shop situated on the High Street. As all the tables were outside, it was the perfect place to just sit, relax and watch the world go by, something that I think a lot of people have missed this past year.

We then had wander along the High Street looking at all the interesting shops, many of which sold local produce. One of the things which caught our eye was Whortleberry Jam, but the romance of the name disappeared when it we found out that whortleberry is just a local name for bilberry or bleaberry.

Sal wanted to visit an old packhorse bridge called Gallox Bridge so we headed through the town in search of it. On our way we came across a local community garden which had been designed as a quiet place to give both locals and tourists a means of escaping the hustle and bustle of the busy town centre. Dunster can get a bit hectic as one of the few major roads of the area going directly through it. We spent a fair amount of time in there, photographing the many flowers the locals had planted and just enjoying the peace and quiet.

And so on to Gallox Bridge. In the Middle Ages Dunster flourished as a market and port for wool, with fleeces being brought down from the moors to be sold there. Many of them were carried by packhorse across the river Avill via Gallox Bridge, which was the main route into Dunster from the south.

It is referred to as Gallox Bridge in a variety of spellings such as Gallocksbrigge, Gallox Bridge or Gallocks Bridge. The name derives from the gallows that stood on a hill outside the town which were a symbol of the authority of the lords of Dunster Castle, who had the right to try and hang any thief caught within the area of their jurisdiction.

Alongside the bridge was an ancient ford – probably older than the bridge – for wheeled traffic. The bridge and ford functioned together: pedestrians and packhorses (with their wool fleeces) using the bridge, and carts driving through the ford. This area must be the oldest part of the town and it is still surrounded by beautiful thatched cottages.

It was then a pleasant stroll back through the village to the pasty shop where we bought a couple for our lunches.

A few days earlier we had been diverted on to a side road when we were heading for The Royal Oak in Luxborough. On this back road there was a signpost for 'The Tallest Tree in England' so, as it was only a few miles down the road, we decided today was the day to investigate.

It was a Douglas Fir tree and was situated in a woodland called Nutcombe Bottom. In 2009, the Guinness Book of Records recorded it as being 198ft high, weighing 50 tonnes and having a diameter of 6ft. It was certainly an impressive size.

We finished our day off having lunch in one of the forest clearings, with great views of Exmoor on one side of us and The Bristol Channel on the other. The only thing missing was mushy peas with a dash of Hendo's!