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Lynton is a bright airy Victorian village the Victorians named the area
"The Little Switzerland". It has a selection of
quaint shops, tea-room and cafes. It is connected to its sister resort of Lynmouth by a unique water operated cliff railway dating back to 1890.Nestling beneath the cliffs, the pretty harbour of Lynmouth is a romantic escape from modern-day living with its row of fishing cottages tumbling down the street towards the quay.
The area around the twin villages of Lynton and Lynmouth Is known
as the Switzerland of England - and once you have seen it you’ll
understand why.
This part of Exmoor is not to be missed, combining a delightful
superb coastal scenery with wooded river valleys and coastal scenery
with wooded valleys and moorland.
The villages, on the A39, ore across the Devon border. At the foot
of the long and steep Countisbury Hill is Lynmouth where the East
and West rivers meet the sea.
Two events at this tiny harbour village, which has seen much
activity for many centuries, will forever have a place in history.
The first came in 1898 when a ship was seen drifting off Porlock
Weir. High seas made it impossible to launch the Lynmouth lifeboat,
so it was decided to carry it up Countisbury Hill and down Porlock
Hill. Twelve horses and scores of helpers helpers joined in the
effort, many turning back on the way as they decided it could not be
done. But by 6 the next morning they completed the journey and
launched the lifeboat. On the way, they had had to demolish walls,
remove gates and cut down trees to widen the road enough to get the
boat through. The story is retold in a special display in the Exmoor
National Park’s Information Centre in Lynmouth.
The second was the flood disaster of 1952 which remains etched In
the minds of its survivors. The evening of August15th saw a
cloudburst which had devastating effects. A month of heavy rain had
already swollen water levels, and the sudden downfall turned streams
into raging torrents. It has been estimated that enough water to
supply the area for more than 100 years fell in that one night.
By daylight 34 people were found dead and damage to property was
immense.
Historically Lynmouth was a herring fishing port, and what little
growth there has been has come mainly from adapting fishermen’s
cottages and herring curing houses into hotels, guesthouses,
restaurants or shops.
Lynmouth Beach
Lynmouth Beach is a five minute level walk back to the other side
of the river. This is in fact a wide expanse of rocks of various
sizes. Fast currents from the river sweep out to sea, so there is a
half tide swimming pool available.
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- Local towns and
villages to visit
- Culbone
- Dunster
- Exmoor
- Exford
- Horner
- Luccombe
- Malmsmead
- Minehead
- Oare
- Parracombe
- Porlock Weir
- Simonsbath
- Stoke Pero
- Tarr Steps
- Trentishoe
- Watchet
- Withypool
- Wootton Courtney
- Angling
- Coarse and trout
fishing on the river Tone at Taunton, Wellington and Wiveliscombe (
on the A361 about 9 miles west of Taunton). Other good waters
include the Taunton-Bridgewater Canal, the West Sedgemoor Drain and
Clatworthy Reservoir.
Lynton Caravan and Camping sites
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