TOURING : CLUB SITES Stunning National Park FOR THE FAMILY

Can you dig it? Wild things Head for Diggerland at From monkeys to meerkats, the to drive a family-run Exmoor Zoo at full-size LCB loader. Children Barnstaple has more than 175 can enjoy rides on a variety of species from all over the world. machines, as well as have fun There are various daily in the indoor ball pit and on activities, so check the website pedal-powered tractors. before making your visit. T0871 2277 007 T01598 763352 Wdiggerland.com Wexmoorzoo.co.uk Nearest featured sites Nearest featured sites Minnows/Exebridge Lakeside Minnows/Exmoor House marksEx HILL CLIMB

Steve Rowe goes searching for DON’T the FORGET treasure in Exmoor, the jewel in You can book your north and ’s crown, pitch online at caravanclub.co.uk/ Cliffhanger and finds an embarrassment of riches searchandbook, by calling Opened in 1890, Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff spot our Advance Booking Service Railway is operated by water and gravity, on 01342 327490 or, for with the weight of the descending car pulling AS sites, calling up the ascending one. It links the port of them direct. Lynmouth with the cliff-top village of Lynton.

T01598 753486 Wcliffrailwaylynton.co.uk Nearest featured sites Minehead/Exmoor House remember a school geography expense of the moors is to miss out – there is THIS MONTH’S FEATURED SITES lesson from the late 1970s when so much to see and do, a caravan holiday on my slightly hippy-ish teacher Exmoor leaves you wanting, er, more! EXEBRIDGE LAKESIDE Exebridge Lakeside Club site Train treats became unusually animated on the So, keen to explore both the inland sights See p101 of the Sites Directory & Handbook 2013/14 The West Somerset Railway, subject of Exmoor. So taken was he and the traditional seaside resorts, I set off which operates steam and diesel withI this part of the world, I believe he was west from London on the A303 past locomotives, runs for 20 miles EXMOOR HOUSE planning to retire to the West Country. Stonehenge to check out a quartet of See p102 of the Directory and 10 stations from Bishops It wasn’t always this beautiful region’s Caravan Club sites that are handily placed Lydeard to Minehead. Dogs travel inland attractions that drew the visitors, for members on a West Country excursion. MINEHEAD for just £2 each. though. Indeed, in Victorian times, I headed first to the eastern side of See p108 of the Directory T01643 704996 holidaymakers headed straight for the Exmoor, starting off at Torre Cider Farm MINNOWS AS Wwest-somerset-railway.co.uk seaside resorts of Minehead and which produces and sells its own scrumpy. Nearest featured sites See p46 of the Directory Minehead/Exmoor House YOU ARE HERE Lynmouth. But to aim for the coast at the If the weather’s fine, sit out awhile on the >>

18 www.caravanclub.co.uk May 2013 The Caravan Club Magazine 19 TOURING : CLUB SITES

Minehead beach –fun for all the family, young and old OUTDOOR FUN FOOD + DRINK DID YOU KNOW? Exmoor was BUZZING PLACE designated a National Park in 1954 and was oncehunting a royal forest ground and

Seafood special Hive of activity The Dunster Castle Hotel in the village of Dunster is famous for A family-run business on the its fish dishes. After you’ve enjoyed your locally-produced food in outskirts of South Molton, the restaurant, pop down to the Cellar Bar for a local ale. Quince Honey Farm gives visitors the chance to learn T01643 823030 Wthedunsterhousehotel.co.uk Castle king how honey is produced. As well Nearest featured site Minehead Now owned by the National as 18 observation bee hives, Trust, Dunster Castlecan trace there’s a shop, café and FANCY A CUPPA? its history back to at least children’s soft play area. Done to a tea Norman times. As well as the T01769 572401 fortress, you can explore the Wquincehoneyfarm.co.uk Staying in Dunster, Tessa’s extensive gardens and enjoy a Nearest featured sites Tea Shop specialises in Minehead site is just a 15-minute Exmoor House/Exebridge opposite the Minehead terminus cuppa in the tea room. organic foods and also offers Lakeside for the West Somerset Railway. a range of gluten-free cakes T01643 821314 and savouries. You can walk from the seaside resort Steam and diesel trains operate W nationaltrust.org.uk/ choose from a vast range of recommended The Old Ship Aground pub along this 20-mile stretch of Exmoor House Club site dunster-castle “ Nearest featured site teas and coffees. veranda or in the gardens as you enjoy at the western end of Minehead’s” seafront, track, which was once a branch- Minehead refreshment from the café. where old cottages line the quayside, as a line of the Great Western Railway. T01643 821231 Nearest featured site Minehead Just down the road is Cleve Abbey, a good place to eat. I wasn’t disappointed. Those seeking retail therapy will surely Dulverton, the latter enjoys a lovely rural fascinating former Cistercian monastery. This inn aside, it’s worth venturing up to linger awhile at Minehead’s shopping valley setting, with some pitches This gives you a real insight into how monks this historic part of town as it is totally centre, while several supermarkets are on overlooking the . From here, lived some 800 years ago – and might put different in character from the eastern hand if you need to stock up on supplies. walkers are perfectly placed to make the your current economic hardship into some side, which is much more commercial. most of Exmoor, while those who prefer to Home cooking sort of perspective. At the heart of the seafront is Jubilee TURRET TREAT explore local communities can stroll into Cycling With the afternoon starting to turn into Gardens Café, a convenient place to stop A short drive east brings you to the ancient Dulverton itself. The town boasts a At the far western end of the The West Country Way (National night, I arrived at my first stopover – for a cuppa or an ice cream, which stands village of Dunster, its National Trust- multitude of cafés and restaurants and I seafront in Minehead, Cycle Network Route 3) spans overlooking the small Minehead Club site, a small hillside owned castle standing guard at the top of a enjoyed a delicious cream tea, with home- North Devon from Tiverton to harbour, The Old Ship location just a 15-minute walk (or short hill. A fortress has stood at this very point made scones and cakes, at Lewis’s Tea Braunton on the coast, before Apple appeal heading south to Hatherleigh. Aground pub offers hearty drive or bus ride) from the popular for more than 1,000 years, although the Rooms (which is due to change its name to Torre Cider Farm, near home-cooked dishes. Somerset seaside resort of the same name. building you see today became a lavish Mortimer’s by the time you read this). From Minehead, the North Devon Watchet, produces its own Cycle Route (Regional Route 51) The site’s 50 hardstanding pitches are country house during Victorian times. Another Dulverton attraction which scrumpy using traditional T01643 702087 runs across the top of the county Wtheoldshipaground.co.uk surrounded by woodland, and the warden Historians need not despair, for plenty of won’t be in any tourist booklet is its petrol techniques. It also boasts a to Ilfracombe. Nearest featured site Minehead team keeps everything clean and tidy. the original castle, such as a medieval station! With a single pump (petrol and small selection of farm animals, A couple of Club members I met on site gatehouse and ruined tower, remains. diesel) and an attendant who fills up your a tearoom, veranda and garden, Wsustrans.org.uk plus a shop where you can buy From the castle, head down the hill into tank, it is a real blast from the past. Minehead Club site cider and other local produce. the village itself. Dunster once enjoyed a As its name suggests, the second Club Spice as nice flourishing cloth trade, the octagonal Yarn site in this area, Exebridge Lakeside, is near T01984 640004 Market building that still dominates the the village of Exebridge. It offers superb Wtorrecider.com Tongdam Thai Restaurant, Nearest featured site Minehead/Exmoor House which is tucked away in the village a vivid reminder of this. Stay awhile views over the surrounding hills and down centre of Dulverton, offers a to browse the craft shops and enjoy a the Exe Valley and is popular with anglers – spicy alternative to the cream tea in one of the many quaint cafés. Wimbleball Lake is just a few miles away cafés and tea shops of the Those after some ‘posh’ nosh should pay and you can enjoy a spot of coarse and fly area. On sunny days you can The Dunster Castle Hotel a visit – its fish fishing at Exebridge. The site is a great base dine outside. dishes are delicious. from which to explore Exmoor itself and is On the southern edge of Exmoor, the within a short drive of north coast resorts T01398 323397 Wtongdamthai.co.uk Club has two sites – Exebridge Lakeside such as Minehead and Lynmouth. Nearest featured sites and Exmoor House. Within walking On a sunny day, Lynmouth is a great Exmoor House/Exebridge Lakeside Historic Dunster distance of the picturesque town of place in which to spend a few hours, >>

20 www.caravanclub.co.uk May 2013 The Caravan Club Magazine 21 TOURING : CLUB SITES either relaxing and enjoying the sea views or browsing its shops. If you’ve got loftier ambitions, then jump onto the water- CULTURE powered cliff railway to the genteel resort of Lynton. This has a distinctly Abbey habit Victorian feel to it, again with plenty of shops, and the sea views from here are Cleve Abbey in Washford allows Minnows AS visitors a glimpse into monastic life even better than those in Lynmouth. as it was 800 years ago. Although the abbey church was destroyed by MARVELLOUS MINNOWS the south-western edge of Exmoor. Park in Henry VIII during the Dissolution in My final overnight stop was at Minnows, the pay-and-display car park (large enough 1536, the cloister buildings have a 59-pitch Affiliated Site whose wardens for motorhomes) next to the livestock survived remarkably intact. offer a very warm welcome. It’s easy to get market and you can stroll into the town T01984 640377 to from the M5 and borders a canal, giving centre. Here, you’ll find a good mix of Wenglish-heritage.org.uk a flat walk into the nearby village of shops and places to eat. I enjoyed a tasty Nearest featured sites Minehead/Exmoor House Sampford Peverell. It’s well placed for bite at That New Place, a small café, before accessing attractions on the western side of heading off to Quince Honey Farm. With Exmoor, such as the Coldharbour Mill 18 observation hives, you’ll learn all you Mill about Working Wool Museum. Near Cullompton, need to know about bees and honey – don’t The 200-year-old Coldharbour this 200-year-old spinning mill also has a forget to buy a jar or two before leaving. Mill at Cullumpton is now a shop and restaurant. It’s worth checking Exmoor is ripe for a caravanning tour. working museum, with a shop and restaurant. The mill the website for details of the ‘Steam Ups’, Although the weather wasn’t particularly machinery is operated several when the machinery is put into action. good during my visit, I still found plenty to times a year to give visitors an With a stop just half a mile from the site, keep me occupied. Given the addition of authentic Victorian experience. buses take you to the town of Tiverton and warm sunshine, Exmoor is the perfect Check the website for details. the city of Exeter. The former is well worth holiday destination for both families and T01884 840960 a visit, not only for its castle but also for its couples alike. You might even bump into Wcoldharbourmill.org.uk shops. Close to Tiverton, Knightshayes my old geography teacher! ■ Nearest featured sites Minnows/Exebridge Lakeside Court is a National Trust property, one of the finest surviving Gothic Revival houses in the country. My final destination on this tour was South Molton, a market town on

MEMBERS’ VIEW John and Pauline Pickupfrom St Austell were staying at Minnows and were enjoying a break with friends from Dorset. We asked why they had picked this particular site? “This site is about midway between where we live in Cornwall and where our friends Good Knight live in Dorset,” said John. “We like exploring Martin and Lyn Courtneyfrom the local towns and villages, including Knightshayes Court is a Bournemouth were staying at Minehead, Dulverton, perfect for a pub lunch or a spot Victorian country house in which they love so much that they visit at of shopping. Slightly further afield we also Tiverton. Highlights include a least a couple of times every year. “The site like Barnstaple and Bideford. There are also walled garden, colourful formal is really well located and it only takes about several stately homes in the area and, on terraces and elaborate topiary. 20 minutes to walk into the centre of this trip, we have visited the National Trust’s The house itself, with medieval Minehead”, said Martin. “We also like Killerton House, where we enjoyed walking Rags to riches great hall, is fascinating. travelling on the steam trains that run on the Dunster Yarn Market’s our dog in the extensive grounds.” West Somerset Railway, which terminates in 17th-century timber-framed T01884 257381 Minehead. There’s also a great bus service octagonal hall is a Wnationaltrust.org.uk/ from here, taking you into the centre of knightshayes-court Minehead, or further afield to places like monument to Dunster’s Nearest featured sites once flourishing cloth trade. Minnows/Exebridge Lakeside Taunton. Yesterday we drove over to Lynmouth, which is packed with interesting Wenglish-heritage.org.uk shops and cafés.” Nearest featured site Minehead To read even more member views, see our fantastic online forum at caravanclub.co.uk/together

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