Somerset, Devon and Exmoor Beaches

Glamping and Holiday Cottages near the Coast

We’re well placed at Middle Stone Farm if you want to visit the coast.   Check us out on a map and you’ll see there’s lots of choice of beaches if you want to spend a day by the water, the South West Coast Path is nearby if you’re a keen walker, or we have lakes and rivers near us too if fresh water swimming is more your thing. ​

Blue Anchor Bay

Our nearest beach is Blue Anchor Bay, a sand and shingle beach about 25 minutes drive from the farm. A great place for a dog walk or Sunday stroll, the beach stretches for miles with views across to Wales and North Hill at Minehead.  The shallow gradient allows for a large width of sand, particularly at low tide.  Blue Anchor is approximately 3 miles east of Dunster and Minehead.  There's plenty of free parking  along the beach front, it's not a particularly popular beach so spaces are never an issue, this is a dog friendly beach too.  The unpretentious Driftwood Cafe is a good for all day, fish and chips or a cream tea.    You don’t need to pre book, you’ll find their page on Facebook.  

Bossington Beach

​We love Bossington Beach, the other side of Minehead.  A huge expanse of pebble beach backed by farmland and the Exmoor hills. Parking is in a National Trust car park in the village, and it’s an easy half mile walk to the beach either through the village, or up through the woods along a river.  Bossington itself is an archetypal English village with thatched cottages, a traditional forge, couple of tea rooms and pretty thatched cottages.   This beach isn’t suitable for swimming, the currents are strong, but there’s a lagoon of water behind the beach perfect for paddling, cooling down or for dogs to frolic in!  The beach itself is an array of different sized smooth stones, behind the beach is a unique marshland ecosystem which attracts numerous rare species of birds and insects. There are also plenty of traces of human history ranging from World War II pillboxes on the beach to lime kilns used in agriculture.

Porlock Weir

​Porlock Weir is the next bay along – a really great place to visit on a fine day.  We love this harbour with its amazing views, good walks and lovely places to eat from gallery tea rooms, to the Porlock Oyster shed, Ziangs Asian noodle takeaway on the harbour wall, a traditional pub and the two hotels also serve good quality food and wood fired pizzas.  There’s a footpath behind the oyster stall to Culborne Church, the smallest parish church in England.  
 
Wimbleball Lake and Clatworthy Reservoir are both very near us, fresh water lakes with water sports and lovely walks.  Clatworthy is a quiet place, good for walking or fishing, but not dog friendly. There’s lots more going on at Wimbleball Lake’s activity centre, there’s a café and little play area there too.  You're not supposed to swim in the Lake, but people do....

Woolacombe Bay

If you’re after surf, famous Woolacombe, Saunton Sands, Putsborough and Croyde Beach are the ones to head to.  It is a bit of a journey over there, but we recommend driving over Exmoor, it takes the same time as the main road, and it’s such an incredibly beautiful journey  through the heart of Exmoor National Park.  These beaches are popular, much busier than our local beaches, however the surf is great and safe for children to boogie board, and the sand is fine, so we think it's worth the journey, just head off early in the morning to ensure a place in the car park!  Ask us when you're here if you need help choosing which one of these beaches is the right one for you, as they are quite different in character.  
​
We’re an hour's drive from the famous South Devon beaches, Exmouth, Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Branscombe and Beer.  They are lovely beaches, but again tend to be busier than ours as they are more well known.  Popular Lyme Regis is also just over an hour away, it’s really lovely with lots of pretty shops and sheltered coast, however we recommend visiting in low season, as in the height of summer it’s pretty busy over there.  If you're heading to the South Coast - do stop at The Donkey Sanctuary on your way, it's really lovely for families, there's also a huge farm shop called Dart's Farm nearby which is worth a visit if you're in the area.  Otter Valley Ice Cream near Honiton is also great - too much choice of amazing ice cream though so you need to be more decisive than our family are!