Porlock

Porlock makes an excellent hotel and B&B base for exploring Exmoor National Park without needing to camp on the open moor. The village High Street has a scattering of characterful inns and guesthouses within a short walk of the church, shops and Dovery Manor Museum, while a stay at Porlock Weir puts you right beside the tidal harbour, with rooms above or alongside the Ship Inn and the refurbished Porlock Weir Hotel looking straight out over the water. Both settings suit visitors who want to explore on foot: the coast path towards Culbone Church starts at the Weir, while Porlock Hill and the routes up onto the moor lead directly from the village.

Further out, farmhouse B&Bs and small hotels around Doverhay, Bossington, Allerford and Horner offer a quieter rural stay, often with sea or moorland views and easy access to Exmoor's network of walking and riding trails. Because Porlock Hill is so steep, and can occasionally close in poor weather, it is worth checking a hotel's exact location relative to the hill and the toll road alternative if you are travelling with a caravan, a low-powered vehicle, or simply want to avoid the 1-in-4 gradient. Booking ahead is advisable in summer, particularly around Porlock Weir, where harbourside rooms are limited and popular with returning visitors. Whichever base you choose, Porlock's compact size means most of the village's pubs, shops and the museum are within easy walking distance of any High Street accommodation, and a short drive covers the two miles down to the Weir.

Porlock and its Weir pack in a surprising range of things to do for such a small place, from steep drives to quiet coastal walks.

• Porlock Hill — the notoriously steep A39 climbs out of the village at gradients reaching 1 in 4 (25%), officially the steepest stretch of any A-road in Britain, with hairpin bends and, near the top, sweeping views back over the vale and Bristol Channel; a gentler toll road offers an alternative 1-in-14 route up the hill.
• Porlock Weir — a working tidal harbour and a favourite spot to watch boats come and go, browse craft shops, or sit outside with an ice cream over the water.
• Exmoor National Park — Porlock is one of the best-placed bases for exploring Exmoor's high heather moorland, oak woodland combes and free-roaming Exmoor ponies, much of it accessible directly from the village on foot.
• Culbone Church — reached only by a wooded coastal path from Porlock Weir, this tiny Saxon-founded church, dedicated to St Beuno, is reckoned to be the smallest complete parish church in England.
• Doone Valley — the wild valley of Badgworthy Water near Oare, setting for R.D. Blackmore's novel "Lorna Doone", lies a short drive south-west and makes for one of Exmoor's best-loved walks.
• Dovery Manor Museum — a volunteer-run local museum in a 15th-century manor house on Porlock High Street, covering the village's history, its literary visitors and rural life on Exmoor.
• Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" trail — walkers can follow the wooded coast path towards Culbone that Coleridge is said to have taken, tracing the landscape linked to one of English poetry's most famous unfinished works.

The Ship Inn on Porlock High Street is a former 13th-century coaching inn, one of the oldest on Exmoor, serving food throughout the week beside its log fires. Down at the harbour, a second Ship Inn — known locally as the "Bottom Ship" — is a thatched, 200-year-old pub with rooms and a restaurant menu. Also at the Weir, Locanda at the Weir serves an à la carte menu blending Exmoor produce with Mediterranean flavours, while the Porlock Weir Hotel's waterfront restaurant offers locally sourced food and wood-fired pizza daily. Back in the village, the Royal Oak is a traditional dog-friendly pub on the High Street, and Porlock's shops sell locally made jams, cheeses, fudge and other Somerset produce.

Porlock and the surrounding vale offer a handful of small, well-placed campsites and glamping sites rather than large holiday parks, reflecting the area's quiet, rural character within Exmoor National Park. As in the rest of England, wild camping on Exmoor is not legally permitted without the landowner's express consent, so pitching up on the open moor or shingle ridge without arrangement is not an option; instead, small farm-based campsites around Porlock, Bossington and Allerford offer pitches for tents, campervans and touring caravans, often with views towards the moor or the sea.

The terrain here is a real draw for campers: Exmoor's combes and heather moorland rise directly behind the village, the coast path threads west towards Culbone through ancient oak woodland, and Porlock Weir's harbour and shingle beach are an easy walk or cycle from most sites. Facilities tend to be simple rather than resort-style, suiting those who want a base for walking, cycling and exploring rather than an on-site entertainment programme, though some sites offer showers, electric hook-up and small shops or honesty boxes for essentials.

Late spring through early autumn is the most reliable camping season, when Exmoor's weather is at its calmest and the moorland tracks are driest; the notorious 1-in-4 gradient of Porlock Hill is also worth bearing in mind when planning a route in with a heavy caravan or trailer tent, as the gentler toll road provides a safer alternative climb. For those who prefer solid walls without giving up the outdoor feel, a growing number of glamping options — shepherd's huts, bell tents and safari-style tents — have appeared on farms around the vale, offering made-up beds and sometimes wood-fired hot tubs while keeping the same views over Exmoor and the Bristol Channel that draw campers to the area.