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Minehead
About Minehead
We like to joke about Minehead being at the back-end of nowhere, but that is one of the reasons why we, and so many others, LOVE it!
In all seriousness, it’s a lovely seaside town sitting on the coastline of the Bristol Channel in West Somerset. It certainly is a picturesque part of the country, that’s for sure.
Walkers, cyclists, horse riders, water-sport lovers, and basically anyone that enjoys the great outdoors, love to visit and holiday in this area, with good reason! Exmoor National Park is on our doorstep, we also have the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty next door, as well as the Brendon Hills just behind us.
The beach at Minehead is wide and sandy, with some areas of shingle and rock pools. The nearby seaside villages are also popular; there are beaches at Dunster, Blue Anchor, and Porlock, either side of Minehead.
Some interesting things about Minehead:
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Often referred to as often a 'Gateway to Exmoor'
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It’s the official start of the South West Coastal Path
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It's home to the terminus of the West Somerset Steam Railway
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Somerset’s oldest golf club is here
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The historic harbour dates back to the late 1300s
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We have a beautiful beach, part of which is dog-friendly all year round (from the Golf Club end towards Dunster), the main part of the beach is closed to dogs during the summer season.
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AND it’s surrounded by stunning countryside which makes it a fabulous base for a UK cycling or walking holiday!
West Somerset is sparsely populated, in fact it has the lowest population density of all local authority districts in England. It’s generally peaceful and beautiful which is another reason it's popular as a UK holiday destination.
Tourism has been a part of Minehead's economy since Victorian times and unsurprisingly tourism is by far the single largest part of Exmoor's economy (estimated to contribute £130m per year, quoted by ENPA, 2020).
Exmoor spans across west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, and more precisely defined as the area of the former ancient royal hunting forest, which was officially surveyed 1815–1818 as 18,810 acres (7,610 ha) in extent. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and 55 km (34 mi) of the Bristol Channel coast. The total area of the Exmoor National Park is 692.8 km2 (267.5 sq mi), of which 71% is in Somerset and 29% in Devon.
