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Personalised Tourist Guides: Index
Watchet
A lovely little coastal town with an active Marina, excellent holiday accommodation, an Old Port, quaint houses and shops. An ideal place to stay for a few days or even longer, with many walks in beautiful countryside, along the interesting coastline or just sit on the Esplanade with a cider or an ice cream - both locally made of course. Watchet accommodation is also amongst the best in Somerset!
Watchet was first recorded during the dark ages, when St Decuman arrived from South Wales and acted as a physician, arbitrator and pastor to the local community. He arrived on a raft with a cow as a companion!
In the Iron ages, Daws Fort was built above Watchet to protect the port and area. Watchet's then natural harbour, made it an early trading centre and in the 10th century coins were minted here for Ethelred II and five more Saxon Kings.
Watchet is unique in that it still retains the Court Leet system of medieval administration, albeit only in name. Posts include Portreeve and the coveted position of Ale Taster. The Star Inn, won the Somerset 2006 CAMRA award for real ale. It's unclear if the Ale Taster had a hand in this!
Watchet gets its name from WACET, the blue dye found in the cliffs. Watchet was an active port with a host of commodities being traded up and down the coast, to Ireland and Wales, while the Mineral Line brought iron ore down for shipment to Wales.
Comments from visitors who have already been to stay include:- "Friendly people who have time to talk", "Shopkeepers who let you browse", Good food in pubs and cafes", "Found things to buy I haven't seen for years", "Can really relax here".
Local Attractions:
- In Watchet itself you can meander through the winding streets browsing the antiques and curios; visit the Market House Museum or the Watchet Boat Museum. You may also like to walk along a path on the track bed of the old West Somerset Mineral Railway, from Watchet harbour to the beautiful village at Washford. Here you can visit Cleeve Abbey, a medieval monastery, or the Torre Cider Farm.
- If you are interested in churches you may like to visit Saint Decumen’s Church in Watchet; so named after a Celtic saint came to Watchet on a raft with a cow for companion during the 7th century. Alternatively visit Daws Castle about half a mile from Watchet, or take a walk along the West Somerset Coast Path. This runs from the hamlet of Steart to the coastal resort of Minehead, through Watchet and the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
- At the end of July Watchet holds a town carnival marked by colourful floats and costumes. It attracts residents and holiday makers from a wide surrounding area. In August Watchet hosts a music festival. This is a family friendly festival with views of the west Somerset coastline and beyond, on site camping, 2 stages, tea tent, a food court, workshops, real ale and cider bar, kids corner, on site camping and car parking plus over 30 live acts
- If you prefer to travel slightly further afield why not visit Dunster - 6 miles West of Watchet. Dunster has it all - an historic castle overlooking the town, a working water mill, a picturesque packhorse bridge and ford, elegant 15th century parish church, unique octangular Yarn Market and a long main street lined with 17th to 19th century buildings, now teashops, inns, hotels and gift shops.
- Walkers will not be disappointed when they discover the beautiful countryside found on Exmoor, the Quantocks and Cheddar Gorge.
Local infomation:
Albert's Ardware 01984 631 055
Bell Inn 01984 631 279
Celtic Dreams Gifts 01984 639 103
Chamberlain's Garage 01984 633 323
Chives Deli 01984 639 103
Co-Operative Store 01984 639 345
Corner Collection Gifts 01984 633 444
Country Matters Shop 01984 631 167
The Curious Cat 01984 634 713
Esplanade Club 01984 634 518
Evergreen Florists 01984 634 094
"Framed" Picture Gallery 01984 633 113
Georgian House B & B 01984 639 279
Green Undertakings 01984 632 285
Hartnells Bed and Breakfast 01984 634 777
Heartfelt Vintage Clothing 00000 000 000
Helwell Bay Caravan Park 01984 631 781
Ivy House B & B 01984 633 359
Lloyds Bank 01984 634 592
Mariners Guest House 01984 631 208
Mariner's Rest Holiday Cottage 01623 456 637
Max Davison Opticians 01984 634 140
M Whiteley Accountants 01984 634 300
Molly Quint 01984 632 592
N J Nurseries 07814 125 945
Pebbles Bar & Restaurant 01984 633 831
Post Office 01984 631 223
Roger's Furniture 01984 633 826
Royal British Legion 01984 631 724
Sally DeRenzy-Martin 01984 631 495
Sam Westmacott 01984 639 674
Scooby Doo Too Fishing Trips 01984 631 310
St. Audries Holiday Centre 01984 632 515
Stilegate B & B 01984 639 119
Sunnybank Caravan Park 01984 632 237
The Green B & B 01984 633 313
The Old Bakery B & B 01984 631 218
Watchet.net Webhosting 01984 634 565
Watchet Carnival 01984 639 616
Watchet Harbour Marina 01984 631 264
Watchet Station 01984 634 114
West Coast Angling 01984 634 807
Wilkies Estate Agents 01984 634 795
Wyndham House B & B 01984 631 881
| Tourist Information Centre: | The Esplanade, Watchet |
| Car hire: | Taunton or Bridgewater |
| Bus company: | http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/southwest/bristol/home/index.php |
| Railway station: | West Somerset Railway, Watchet |
| Airport: | Bristol or Exeter (70 miles) |
| Port: | Watchet |
Map of location: Google map of this location
Route planner: The AA route planner
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