Porlock Weir

The pretty little port of Porlock Weir, two and a half kilometres to the west, occupies the last sheltered low ground before the county boundary with Devon, where the great massive shield of rock that forms the main part of Exmoor tumbles in wooded cliffs towards the Bristol Channel.

Porlock Weir between the showers - © 2009 Mike Watson www.mike-watson.co.uk

Porlock Weir between the showers - © 2009 Mike Watson www.mike-watson.co.uk

Porlock Weir Bed and Breakfast - image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council

The difference in height between the lowest water level on the spring tides and the highest is about 8 and a half metres - nearly 30 feet. These two factors, the cliff falls to the west and the high tides have helped to fashion one of the most striking natural features of the Vale of Porlock, the natural 6,000-year-old shingle ridge which geologists believe was formed with the rise in sea levels at the end of the last ice age. The South West Coastal footpath runs close by. In every direction there are wonderful walks from Porlock.

Exmoor Ponies above Porlock Weir

The handsome little port of Porlock Weir is backed by a precipitous drop of almost 1400 feet (450 metres) and was always difficult of access. In the nineteenth century there was a proposal for an incline plane, rather like the Cliff Railway at Lynmouth, but it was never built.

Porlock Harbour - image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council

The pretty little seaside village of Porlock Weir lies on the west side of the graceful five mile sweep of Porlock Bay. Here, surrounded by fine wooded cliff scenery, there is a small but busy harbour which was once used by coasters carrying timber to South Wales in exchange for coal.

Porlock Weir

Porlock Weir or harbour is a popular beauty spot with a row of 17th century cottages, a hotel and old Ship Inn. Once the haunt of commercial vessels Porlock Weir is now dedicated to pleasure craft. There is a toll road to the top of Porlock Hill and a good walk up to Culbone Church - the smallest parish church in England. The shingle ridge that forms Porlock Bay started to appear 8000 years ago after major rock falls.

Porlock Harbour around 1890

Porlock Harbour in 1990

Porlock Harbour in 1990

Porlock Harbour tending to a yacht

Porlock Weir is a picturesque hamlet and former working harbour, enclosed by lock gates. The gates are now used mainly to flush pebbles from the harbour entrance, which cuts through the shingle ridge. Porlock Weir is on the Coast Path and a starting point for walks to Culbone or Porlock Marsh. There is a car park, toilets, pub, restaurant and shops.

The harbour at Porlcok Weir

The harbour entrance at Porlock Weir

Looking over Porlock Beach to Hurlstone Point

Porlock Weir

Porlock Weir - Photo supplied by Dave Sorrell

Porlock Weir beach - Photo supplied by Dave Sorrell

Porlock Weir wartime bunker on the beach - Photo supplied by Dave Sorrell

Porlock Weir harbour - Photo supplied by Dave Sorrell

Porlock Weir - Photo supplied by Dave Sorrell

Porlock Weir The Ship Inn - Photo supplied by Dave Sorrell

Porlock Weir sea defences - Photo supplied by Dave Sorrell

 View over Porlock

Porlock Weir harbour

Porlock Weir harbour

 Signpost at Porlock Weir photo thanks to Dave Sorrell

This picturesque, harbour near Exmoor National Park features the tiny Culbone Church, which was used to shelter lepers. It is also where Coleridge wrote "Kubla Khan"  Porlock Weir is quaint and quintessentially British. It’s a tiny medieval harbour with three shops, a 16-century coaching inn, and a well-renowned hotel. There might not be a lot here, but the atmosphere’s hugely romantic and wild. The imagination is fuelled by the tide crashing onto the shingles - or is it the pretty heady local scrumpy cider from the thatched Ship Inn? Smugglers and damsels in distress, shipwrecks and booty, are part of its ragged history, along with ideas planted by Daphne du Maurier. At the very edge of the Exmoor National Park, near the Someset-Devon border, tons of oak logs left this well-used harbour. A winding toll road struggles from sea-level to the rolling heather covered moors, home to 1,000 wild Red deer and grazing Exmoor ponies.

The Church - from the harbour there’s a steep winding path among age-old trees, and clinging dampness that leads to Culbone, England’s smallest complete parish church. St. Beuno’s is a typical English church, no more than 12 metres long. It has a grassy churchyard, surrounded by a hedge with the obligatory yew tree, as though it was made for pixies. With rather vague beginnings, the original site, is said to have been occupied by monks since the year 430 A.D, with the first church being built around 635.

OS Grid Reference: SS8647

See also:

See Porlock

Contributed by: Tim Holden