Selworthy

Thatched cottage in Selworthy

The charm of Selworthy is the wonderfully-preserved thatched cottages and the historic All Saints church. The church is perched on the side of the hill, and the view from the porch out over the Vale of Porlock to the moors beyond is quite superb.

This delightful village of picturesque thatched cottages is part of the National Trust's huge Holnicote Estate, which takes in over 12,000 acres of Exmoor coast and countryside.

The pretty whitewashed church of All Saints dates to the 15th century, with an earlier west tower. A late Saxon or early Norman font hints at a much earlier building on this spot. Other highlights in the church include a painted wagon roof with carved bosses and angel figures, an 18th-century gallery, and memorials to the Acland family, lords of the manor.

Selworthy is accessed down a narrow lane just north of the A39, about two miles west of Minehead. There is a small (free) parking area opposite the church, and a larger overflow parking area 100 yards further on. A footpath from the village leads up to Selworthy Beacon, which offers excellent views in all directions. Another footpath leads to the Iron Age enclosure of Bury Castle, set within a series of earthwork banks and ditches.