Page 55 - (DK Eyewitness) Back Roads Travel Guide - Great Britain

DRIVE 3: North Devon Coast and Exmoor 53

4 Selworthy The Story of Lorna Doone
Somerset; TA24 8TJ Stories of an outlaw family, the
This is a picture-postcard hamlet of Doones, who terrorized Exmoor in
thatched cottages with a splendid the 17th century fired the fertile
view over the Vale of Porlock and a imagination of local author RD
white 14th-century Perpendicular Blackmore. In his 1869 novel Lorna
Doone, he tells the story of John
church framed by woods. It is part of Ridd, an Oare farmer who falls in love
the Holnicote Estate which extends with the Doones’ adopted daughter,
from Porlock Bay to Dunkery Hill on Lorna. He vividly describes the
Exmoor, its spectacular moorland countryside, disguising many of the
dotted with woods and medieval real locations. Today, leafy footpaths
run from Oare and Malmsmead to
villages. Home to wild ponies and the so-called Doone Valley. Beyond
horned sheep, the moor is criss- Blackmore Memorial by Badgworthy
crossed by footpaths. On the way to Water, look out for Lank Combe Above Pretty harbour town of Lynmouth,
Oare, Dunkery Beacon is the highest Water – was this the secret waterfall rebuilt after the flood of 1952
point on Exmoor (519 m/1,260 ft), that John Ridd climbed?
with extensive views in all directions. EAT AND DRINK
ª From Selworthy, take A39 towards daily mid-Feb–Oct). Lynton is a small
Porlock, turning left at sign for West town looking out to sea with a pretty TAUNTON
Luccombe, then right at sign for Dunkery church, which has a Norman font and Willow Tree moderate
Beacon. Return to A39, forking right at a 13th-century tower. Housed in a 300-year-old building,
Porlock onto New Road (toll) to avoid ª Take B3234 to Lynton, then A39 and noted for its imaginative dishes.
very steep Porlock Hill. Rejoin A39. Turn (signed Barnstaple). Turn left on a 3 Tower Lane, TA1 4AR; 01823 352 835;
www.thewillowtree restaurant.com;
left at sign for Doone Valley after 1 km minor road (signed) for Arlington Court open eves Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat; booking
(half a mile). Follow road to Oare. 1.5 km (1 mile) after Kentisbury Ford. essential
5 Oare 7 Arlington Court and the SELWORTHY
Somerset; EX35 6NU National Trust Carriage Periwinkle Tearoom moderate
This 17th-century thatched cottage
Oare’s diminutive grey stone church, in Museum is perfect for a cream tea or snack.
a quiet valley overlooking Oare Water, Arlington, Parracombe; Devon; EX31 4LP Selworthy Green, TA24 8TP; 01643
was the setting in R D Blackmore’s This Regency house (open daily Mar– 829 111; www.periwinkletearooms.
famous story, Lorna Doone, for the Oct; 01271 850 296; www.nationaltrust. co.uk; open daily
heroine’s wedding to John Ridd; org.uk) is packed with treasures. The AROUND SELWORTHY
18th-century box pews lead to the stables in the Deer Park house over Piggy in the Middle moderate
altar where the ceremony was 50 horse-drawn carriages; rides are Small family-run restaurant specializing
interrupted by a gun shot. A plaque available most days. in fish and chips, and pies.
by the oak door commemorates the ª Return to Kentisbury Ford on A39, 2 High Street, TA24 8PS (4 km/
author who brought the area fame. turn left on B3229 and follow signs to 2.5 miles on A39 from Selworthy);
01643 862 647; open Mon–Sat
ª Go through Malmsmead and Ilfracombe on A399. Take A361 out evenings and Sat lunch
Brendon to rejoin A39 towards of town, turn right onto B3343 and
Lynmouth. Follow signs to town follow signs to Mortehoe on minor Below A carriage ride at Arlington Court and
car parks. road to right. Park in the village. the National Trust Carriage Museum
6 Lynmouth
Devon; EX35 6EQ
Picturesquely set at the foot of the
wooded valleys of the East and West
Lyn rivers, this former herring fishing
village is best known for the terrible
flood in August 1952. After torrential
rain, flash floods washed away the
harbour and nearby houses, killing
34 people. The Flood Memorial Hall
commemorates the disaster with a
scale model of the village as it was.
From the seafront, an ingenious water-
powered cliff railway, opened in 1888,
glides 263 m (862 ft) up a steep track
to Lynton – an exciting two-minute
ride with fabulous coastal views (open
Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50

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