The rumble of the cattle grid beneath the wheels announced our arrival on Exmoor, and immediately the landscape changed. Trees gave way to vast green plains, peppered with gorse and sprays of heather. Here and there a paint splash of pink as rhododendrons grow wild, making an easy home, tipping the hat of irony at my futile attempts to cultivate them in my own garden. A smile rushed onto my face and took up permanent residence for the next two days.
5 Reasons to visit Lynton and Lynmouth
Wildlife
Immediately there were sheep, suicidal as they wandered the roads, peering quizzically at the car as if vehicles were a new phenomenon. We contemplated the memory span of a sheep – perhaps every car was a novelty for them.
Wild ponies, red cows, buzzards, pheasant and falcon – we swiped a leaflet from our hotel and the Bug diligently ticked them all off as we saw them. He even swore he’d seen The Beast, the temptation of an extra 100 points being too much for him to pass up.
Stunning scenery
We continued our journey, plunging down through lush foliage into Lynmouth, narrowly avoiding the sheep napping on the tarmac. The physical requirement to slow down coaxing us into the more relaxed pace we needed for our holiday.
From the pretty little harbour, to the breathtakingly steep water-powered Cliff Railway, being in Lynton and Lynmouth is like yoga for the soul. You breathe more deeply, move more slowly, stay longer in the moment as you soak up the beauty and peace of this place.
The Lyn Valley Hotel
We didn’t know what to expect from a B&B with the kids but we couldn’t have been more impressed. The family suite was modern, with a separate bedroom for the children, good-sized comfortable beds, great free wi-fi, and the essential ingredient for Actually Daddy – a power shower. With a complimentary decanter of sherry in our room, we very swiftly settled into admiring the view!
Gorgeous villages
Right outside our window was this sight. The beautiful Lyn valley is carved by this river, which pours into sea just a few hundred metres away. Nestled around the harbour are countless little pubs, fudge shops, and proper ice-cream vendors. No Mr Whippy on these narrow lanes! You can spend a very happy morning pottering through the merchandise, pasty in hand, before taking the quaint railway trip up to Lynton for the most incredible views. A little bit of crabbing on the rocky beach will while away another hour, before hungry tummies drive you to one of the many pubs.
Steer clear of the Rising Sun: whilst it is the oldest and most famous pub in Lynmouth, they “can’t have children in the restaurant. Or the bar…” We decided our children were better behaved than the offer of a table in the lobby deserved, and found a much kinder attitude, good food, and great service at the Rock House Hotel. They got our business again the next night, but if you fancy a change there’s a fabulous range of fish dishes at Fish on the Harbour.
Stunning coastline
The clifftop views from Lynton are as pretty as the little flower-covered houses on the hill, but venture further afield and you’ll find all sorts of breathtaking scenery. A drive to Porlock Weir afforded us a happy afternoon watching the boats while the children built stone barricades, then played at sabotaging each other’s handiwork…
Luckily, there were daisy chains to be fashioned, and the best afternoon tea of the week to be devoured at the Wortleberry Tea Rooms, in the main village of Porlock.
I can happily say this was the most relaxing couple of days we’ve spent so far this year as a family. I might have broached the concept of retirement with Actually Daddy…
You can find the Lyn Valley Hotel here. Our 2 bedroomed family suite cost us £150 per night, which we decided was great value for money. They declared our children beautifully behaved, and allowed them to pinch the biscuits from the tea tray 🙂
Looks amazing 😉 and the kids look gorgeous! Inspires me to holiday closer to home for sure :))) x
Your pictures are just gorgeous Helen, it looks so beautiful there too! 🙂
Wow! Looks GORGEOUS! You had me at Fudge Shops – then you had to go and add crabbing and power showers and complimentary sherry! Sounds divine! And the “lobby of The Rising Sun”?! Wow. Tempting… but… NO! Not EVER! x
I know! I suppose the downside of such a traditional, unspoilt place is that there are still a few folk with traditional ‘unspoilt’ attitudes. Shame, when kids are so much more used to being in restaurants, and knowing how to behave these days.
My husband’s Gran moved up to the midlands to be near us from Porlock, poor woman, you can tell she really misses it and I can see why. Beautiful post Helen, lovely writing 🙂
Thanks Penny. I can see why you’d want to be close to young family but yes, I think if this were my home I’d miss it once I’d moved on.
Ohh, this is near where we are hopefully staying over Summer, I shall bookmark this post, lots of great adventures to be had. That last photo of GG is adorable!
Oh do please at least pay a visit – it is so stunning you just can’t help but relax, even in the rain – that just adds to the beauty!
It really is a lovely part of the world and you have captured the gentle pace of life with your photographs. I could do with some yoga for the soul right now, this looks very tempting.
Gorgeous photos and you make it sound very appealing. I have never been there but I have heard from people before that it is a lovely place.
ah so restful and peaceful x
Gorgeous – I’m totally sold! What stunning shots oh hairy one. Talking of hairyness – I can’t wait to catch up properly in a couple of weeks xx
Oh how I would love to hop on a plane right now and visit. Gorgeous pictures Helen.
Your photos are so beautiful. I love them all but especially the last one. Gorgeous!
I hadn’t thought of there as a holiday destination but it looks so lovely. Thanks for the recommendation!
It’s got our vote. Looks so beautiful and a great place to explore.
This sounds (and looks) gorgeous, actually the kind of holiday we really like. Also, I love the fact that you got away and felt relaxed. Nothing could be better…(PS And we, as you know, love B&BS!)
Looks like you’ve all had a lovely week, beautiful photos x #project365
It looks like just the few days off you needed and I have to say the photos are amazing, who wouldn’t want to visit on the back of a lovely review like this. It does sound very reasonable too. Thank you for joining me for Country Kids
I quite agree that there is nowhere as beautiful as U.K on a nice day. Your photos are stunning.
This looks like a lovely part of the country to relax in. We haven’t been down that way but I do love the unspoilt nature that you can find in the UK. Power shower would get a big thumbs up from my hubby too!x#countrykids
Sounds fabulous and will look into going there ! And yes I hate places that don’t take children. Really nice quality photographs as well.
Such nonsense, isn’t it? Most people know how to get their children to behave nicely.
Lovely post and makes me want to get in the car and go now! I love lynmouth and Lynton – many fond memories from teen years visiting and negotiating that ridiculously steep hill drive down to the bottom!
I love the picture of the river. You can feel the movement of the water #betterphotosproject
Ah that’s my camera settings. I had it on a tripod so I could really slow down the shutter speed and get some of the flow of the water into the image.
Hubby and I visited Lynton and Lynmouth before we had kids and it was amazing! I think it might’ve been a month before i got pregnant with my first. We stayed in a campsite close by and we spent quite a lot of time there. We ate fish and chips on the coastline and it was so relaxing, We always said we will go back there with the girls. Such nice memories!
I’m amazed by how many people have been – isn’t it beautiful?
We went to Lynton and Lynmouth when my son was about 6 months old, it’s a beautiful place and we loved the history of the flood too. The cliff railway was just brilliant and I was only just going through some pictures from our visit last week. #countrykids
That really does look fabulous, the view from your room… that alone would make it! Gorgeous photos, love the last two x