View from Selworthy Beacon to the west
Selworthy Beacon is a hill which is 300 metres high on the northern edge of Exmoor National Park in Somerset. It is located directly on the Bristol Channel, which lies between Devon and Somerset on one side and Wales on the other, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
From Selworthy Beacon you have fantastic views of the rolling hills of Exmoor on one side and on the other side the rocky coast, the Bristol Channel and all the way across to Wales.
The beacon is heavily wooded in the lower area, but mainly exposed at the top, which is covered by bright yellow flowering gorse in spring. The extensive meadow areas are populated by countless sheep.
Selworthy Beacon is accessible from the town of Minehead by a narrow road, and the famous South West Coast Path also crosses it. However, the short climb from the picturesque village of Selworthy or from Bossington is particularly recommended – a beautiful circular route is possible here:
Our circular route begins in Selworthy in Exmoor
Our circular route started in Selworthy, where we parked the car at the church and took a short walk through the town. We then went gently uphill into the forest behind the last houses of the village.
Dense greenery in the forest behind Selworthy
The humid climate directly behind the sea allows vegetation to grow particularly abundantly here. The path leads through dense greenery. However, it didn’t take long until we were suddenly standing outside and had left the trees behind us. If you do our circular route in spring, bright yellow flowering gorse awaits you.
Blooming Gorse at Selworthy Beacon
Looking back, you can see the forest that you have just crossed and then views into Exmoor all the way to Dunkery Beacon.
View to the south from Selworthy Beacon
View to the south
Impossible to get lost: Everything is well signposted here at Selworthy Beacon
All done quite quickly and we are at the top of Selworthy Beacon and can enjoy the landscape.
On top of Selworthy Beacon
On one side the water
View of Bristol Channel from Selworthy Beacon
and on the other side the rolling hills of Exmoor:
View from the Selworthy Beacon into the very lovely landscape of Exmoor
View from Selworthy Beacon into the hilly landscape of Exmoor
The path leads us along the hill.
On top of Selworthy Beacon
Sheep and gorse at Selworthy Beacon
Then it was time for the descent. We kept in the direction of Bossington or Porlock.
View of Porlock Bay from Selworthy Beacon
After a partly steep descent (remember to wear sturdy shoes, please!) we came back into dense forest. The forest path then leads back to Selworthy.
Forest trail back from Selworthy Beacon to Selworthy
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Back in Selworthy, we could not miss the opportunity to relax in the delightful “Periwinkle Tea Room” (if the weather is bad, please take off your shoes before entering to keep the fluffy carpet clean) or in good weather sit outside in the Tea Garden and enjoy one of their excellent Devon Cream Teas!
Destination reached after longing for a cream tea: Periwinkle Cottage in Selworthy (Somerset)
An evening walk at Selworthy Beacon (by Stuart Warstat):
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