Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(EH; 01984-640377;
www.english-heritage.org.uk
; Abbey Rd, Washford; adult/child £4.40/2.60; 10am-5pm
Apr-Oct, to 6pm Jul & Aug; )
Most visitors zip straight past tiny, tumbledown Cleeve Abbey
but it's well worth visiting for the insight it offers into the lives of monks who lived here
800 years ago. Despite being largely torn down during Henry VIII's dissolution, the im-
pressive cloister buildings, original gatehouse, refectory and monks' dormitory are among
the best preserved in England. It's five miles east of Dunster.
West Somerset Railway
( 01643-704996;
www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk
; 24hr rover ticket adult/child £17/8.50)
The chugging
steam trains of this vintage railway are one of the best ways to see the Somerset coun-
tryside. The 20-mile route runs from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard, with stops including
Dunster, Watchet and Williton. There are four to seven trains daily from March to Octo-
ber, with a much more limited service for the rest of the year. Bikes can be carried on
board for £2.
RAILWAY
Bakelite Museum
( 01984-632133;
www.bakelitemuseum.co.uk
; Orchard Mill, Williton; adult/child £5/2.50; 10.30am-6pm Thu-
Sun Easter-Oct, daily in Jul & Aug)
The endearingly weird Bakelite Museum, 7 miles east of Dun-
ster, houses the nation's largest collection of Bakelite (otherwise known as polyoxyben-
zylmethylenglycolanhydride), one of the earliest plastics. This wonder material was used
to make everything from telephones to radios, letter openers, egg cups, vacuum cleaners,
toasters and even false teeth, and the museum has a treasure trove of pieces showcasing
the material's myriad applications. The pièce de résistance has to be the full-size Bakelite
coffin - pity the pall-bearers who had to lug that one around…
MUSEUM
CHURCH
St George's Church
(
www.stgeorgesdunster.co.uk
;
Church St, Dunster)
Dunster's beautiful church dates mostly from the
15th century and boasts an intricately carved fan-vaulted rood screen. Just behind the
church is a 16th-century dovecote, used for breeding edible squabs (young pigeons) for
the dinner table at Dunster Castle.
Dunster Watermill
( 01643-821759;
www.dunsterwatermill.co.uk
; Mill Lane, Dunster; adult/child £3.50/2.50; 11am-4.45pm Apr-
Oct)
This working 18th-century mill still has most of its original cogs, wheels and grinding
HISTORIC BUILDING
