Minehead

Minehead's accommodation reflects its position as both a traditional seaside resort and a gateway to Exmoor, with everything from a centuries-old coaching inn in neighbouring Dunster to simple, friendly guest houses a few streets back from the beach. Because the town has stayed a genuine working resort rather than becoming a purely upmarket destination, prices remain reasonable compared with many South West coastal towns, and it is possible to find good-quality rooms without paying premium rates, particularly outside the peak summer weeks.

Families visiting for Butlin's often look for a base within easy walking distance of the resort or along the seafront, where several hotels and guest houses cater specifically to shorter, activity-packed stays. Couples and walkers, meanwhile, tend to gravitate towards the harbour and old town, or out to Dunster and the surrounding villages, where period properties and country inns offer a quieter pace and easier access to Exmoor's footpaths.

The eight properties below cover this range: a historic country house hotel in Dunster with real fires and four-poster beds, mid-range hotels and inns in the heart of Minehead itself with restaurants and bars attached, and smaller B&Bs and guest houses offering a more personal welcome. Whichever you choose, book ahead for the summer holiday period and any West Somerset Railway steam gala weekends, when demand across the town rises sharply.

Minehead rewards a mix of low-key seaside pursuits and proper Exmoor days out. These are the attractions most visitors build a trip around.

• Minehead Beach is a two-mile stretch of sand backed by a level promenade, ideal for families and popular for kite-flying when the Channel wind picks up.
• Minehead Harbour is a genuine working fishing port where you can watch boats unload, hire crabbing gear from the tackle shop, or take a coastal boat trip.
• The West Somerset Railway runs steam and heritage diesel services from Minehead station along twenty miles of coast and countryside to Bishops Lynch and Taunton, one of the longest preserved railways in the country.
• Exmoor National Park begins at the top of the town, with Dunkery Beacon, Exmoor's highest point, and the wooded gorge at Tarr Steps both within easy driving distance.
• Dunster Castle and village, a short hop east of Minehead, combine a National Trust castle on a wooded hill with a cobbled high street, working watermill and octagonal yarn market.
• Butlin's Minehead Resort offers an indoor water park, funfair and all-weather entertainment, and is one of the town's main employers as well as its best-known attraction.
• The North Hill and coastal path above the town give sweeping views across the Bristol Channel to Wales, and mark the start of the South West Coast Path's long run south.
• Blenheim Gardens and the seafront promenade provide a gentler stroll, with bandstand concerts in summer and easy access to the town's cafes and ice cream stalls.

Being a Somerset coastal town, Minehead's food scene leans on local seafood, cider and dairy produce. Fresh crab and mackerel landed at the harbour turn up on menus around town, and the tackle shop by the quay sells bait and gear for anyone wanting to try crabbing themselves. The Old Ship Aground, right on the harbourside, is well known locally for its seafood and its position looking straight out over the water.

Somerset cider is a fixture in the town's pubs, many stocking local producers alongside the better-known West Country names, and cream teas are widely available in the cafes along the seafront and up in the older town. The Quay Inn on the seafront and Stones Hotel Bar and Restaurant in the town centre both serve as reliable spots for a proper Sunday roast or an evening meal with West Country ingredients. For something more casual, the chip shops and ice cream parlours along the promenade are a Minehead institution, especially after a day on the beach or a walk on the coast path.

Camping around Minehead means choosing between a pitch within walking distance of the town and beach, or a more rural site tucked into the villages on Exmoor's northern edge, a short drive away. Both options put you within easy reach of the coast path, the moor and the West Somerset Railway, and Minehead's own sites are geared up for families arriving with tents, touring caravans and motorhomes alike.

Facilities across the area tend towards the practical rather than the luxurious: hardstanding and grass pitches, electric hook-ups, shower and toilet blocks, and on-site shops rather than swimming pools or elaborate leisure complexes. This suits the area's core audience of walkers, cyclists and families who want a straightforward, well-run base rather than a resort-style campsite, and most sites welcome dogs given Exmoor's popularity with dog walkers.

The three sites below range from a family-run park on the edge of Minehead itself to a long-standing farm site near Porlock that has hosted campers and caravanners for generations, giving a spread of options depending on whether you want to walk into town or head straight out onto the moor.