Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Essentials
GETTING THERE
The main train station in the region is Taunton, easily reached
from London's Paddington Station every 30 minutes (trip time is around 2 hr; £26-
£40). From Bristol, Bridgwater (trip time 1 hr; £8.10-£13) is more convenient.
At Taunton, you can take a bus to Minehead via Dunster operated by
First Som-
erset
(
&
0845/6064446;
www.firstgroup.com), leaving hourly. Trip time is around
90 minutes.
If you're driving from London, head west along the M4, cutting south at junc-
tion 20 with the M5 until you reach junction 23 with the A39, going west to
Minehead. The A39 passes Coleridge Cottage and Dunster before reaching Mine-
head and Exmoor.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Exmoor National Park Centre
is at Dunster
Steep (
&
01643/821835;
www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk), 2 miles east of Mine-
head. It's open from Easter to October, daily 10am to 5pm, plus limited hours the rest
of the year (call ahead).
Taunton Tourist Information Centre,
Paul Street
(
&
01823/336344;
www.visitsomerset.co.uk), is open Monday to Saturday 9:30am
to 4:30pm year-round and can help with transport and lodging.
GETTING AROUND
The best way to see the region is by car—public transport
is very limited, other than between Taunton and Minehead.
Exploring the Area
Coleridge Cottage
HISTORIC HOME The great Romantic poet Samuel Taylor
Coleridge lived in this humble 17th-century cottage from 1797 to 1798, an incredibly
productive period during which he penned
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,
Kubla
Khan,
and
Christabel.
Today the parlor, reading room, and bed chambers above have
been restored to look much as they were when Coleridge and his friends William and
Dorothy Wordsworth (who lived nearby) explored the Quantock Hills together.
35 Lime St., Nether Stowey (just off the A39, 8 miles west of Bridgwater).
&
01278/732662.
www.
nationaltrust.org.uk. Admission £4 adults, £2 children. Apr-Sept Thurs-Sun 2-5pm. Closed Oct-Mar.
From Minehead, follow the A39 east about 30 miles, following signs to Bridgwater.
Dunster Castle
CASTLE Dunster Castle is one of the most picturesque
stately homes in the West Country, located on a high, craggy hill overlooking the
Bristol Channel. All that remains of the original Norman castle is the 13th-century
gateway, and what you see today dates mainly from the faux-Gothic renovation of
8
Somerset Steam
The
West Somerset Railway
(
&
01643/704996;
www.west-somerset-
railway.co.uk) is one of Britain's longest
and most alluring heritage railways,
where vintage steam trains puff
through the lush Somerset countryside
between Bishop's Lydeard (4 miles
west of Taunton on the A358), and
Minehead on the coast. Trains run daily
May to October (4-8 trains in each
direction), and to limited schedules the
rest of the year (check the website for
details). Day Rover tickets give unlim-
ited travel for the day (£16 adults,
£7.80 children 5-15, £ 43 family ticket),
but you can also buy one-way tickets:
Bishop's Lydeard to Minehead is £10
one-way or £16 round-trip for adults.
