Glamping & Holiday Cottages Near The Coast
The Somerset & Devon Coast
The beaches nearest to our farm are Blue Anchor Bay and Dunster Beach, both a combination of stones and sand and a 25 minute drive from our farm. It's free to park at Blue Anchor and there's a simple cafe there called The Driftwood, the beach and cafe are also dog friendly all year round. Dunster Beach has big stretches of sand then stones in the middle.
Our favourite beaches are a bit further west. Porlock Weir just past Minehead has a gorgeous harbour, stone beach, good walks and independent food places. Exmoor Adventures in Porlock offers fun activities, kayaking, coasteering, electric bikes etc. We also love Bossington - a mile of stony beach with breathtaking views, stone pill boxes and easy cliff walks. Bossington isn't for swimming as there's a strong current but you can paddle in the river near the National Trust car park.
On the west side of Exmoor Saunton, Woolacombe and Putsborough are well worth the journey if you want to surf or boogie board, there are good cafes and surf lessons here too. We recommend driving right through the middle of Exmoor National Park to get there as the route is beautiful, rather than taking the main roads which is only 5-10 minutes quicker. If you have a National Trust card you can park for free at Baggy Point and walk around the headland - stunning but there are drops so avoid if you have small children or don't like heights! Minehead Beach is not our favourite as it is quite touristy with lots of guests visiting Butlins but if you're looking for a traditional English beach experience with attractions, candy floss and a promenade this may be the beach for you.
For fossils, we recommend a trip to Kilve Beach, an area of Special Scientific Interest, it's easy to find fossils here. The cliffs are layered with compressed strata embedded with fossils and there are loose fossils on the beach too. Famous Lyme Regis and Charnmouth are about an hour away if you want more fossil hunting, but are much busier beaches than Kilve and you won't find so many fossils as there are so many people on those beaches. Please note you must buy a ticket as soon as you arrive at the Kilve Beach car park there is a camera which clocks you as soon as you arrive, and they are issuing fines (see Google or Trip Advisor reviews as lots of people are mentioning this), I think the ticket machine is near Chantry Tea rooms. Alternatively if you want to avoid this car park, ask us when you are here about where we park - a mile or two from the beach but a lovely walk with an honesty car park instead).
Beer, Branscombe, Lyme Regis and Budleigh Salterton in South Devon are also worth visiting and are about an hour from here (much busier than our beaches so go early to ensure a parking place). Drop into the Donkey Sanctuary, Otter Valley Ice Cream or amazing Darts Farm on your way past. Topsham is also pretty with lots of nice independent shops and antiques.
For wild swimming in rivers, see our Exmoor page.
We regularly post beach photos on our Instagram page and stories, so please follow us if you want to see more photos of our favourite beaches!
Our favourite beaches are a bit further west. Porlock Weir just past Minehead has a gorgeous harbour, stone beach, good walks and independent food places. Exmoor Adventures in Porlock offers fun activities, kayaking, coasteering, electric bikes etc. We also love Bossington - a mile of stony beach with breathtaking views, stone pill boxes and easy cliff walks. Bossington isn't for swimming as there's a strong current but you can paddle in the river near the National Trust car park.
On the west side of Exmoor Saunton, Woolacombe and Putsborough are well worth the journey if you want to surf or boogie board, there are good cafes and surf lessons here too. We recommend driving right through the middle of Exmoor National Park to get there as the route is beautiful, rather than taking the main roads which is only 5-10 minutes quicker. If you have a National Trust card you can park for free at Baggy Point and walk around the headland - stunning but there are drops so avoid if you have small children or don't like heights! Minehead Beach is not our favourite as it is quite touristy with lots of guests visiting Butlins but if you're looking for a traditional English beach experience with attractions, candy floss and a promenade this may be the beach for you.
For fossils, we recommend a trip to Kilve Beach, an area of Special Scientific Interest, it's easy to find fossils here. The cliffs are layered with compressed strata embedded with fossils and there are loose fossils on the beach too. Famous Lyme Regis and Charnmouth are about an hour away if you want more fossil hunting, but are much busier beaches than Kilve and you won't find so many fossils as there are so many people on those beaches. Please note you must buy a ticket as soon as you arrive at the Kilve Beach car park there is a camera which clocks you as soon as you arrive, and they are issuing fines (see Google or Trip Advisor reviews as lots of people are mentioning this), I think the ticket machine is near Chantry Tea rooms. Alternatively if you want to avoid this car park, ask us when you are here about where we park - a mile or two from the beach but a lovely walk with an honesty car park instead).
Beer, Branscombe, Lyme Regis and Budleigh Salterton in South Devon are also worth visiting and are about an hour from here (much busier than our beaches so go early to ensure a parking place). Drop into the Donkey Sanctuary, Otter Valley Ice Cream or amazing Darts Farm on your way past. Topsham is also pretty with lots of nice independent shops and antiques.
For wild swimming in rivers, see our Exmoor page.
We regularly post beach photos on our Instagram page and stories, so please follow us if you want to see more photos of our favourite beaches!
