Porlock, Devon travel guide and Porlock information

Visit Porlock

Porlock is a village situated on the coast of north-western Somerset.

It is in a deep valley below Exmoor, and includes the main village and the harbour, known as Porlock Weir. behind the village rises Porlock Hill.

Visit Porlock

The village itself is a traditional Devon village, mostly based along one main 'high street' and with a good selection of shops, tea rooms and cafes. There is also a regional tourist information office.

Porlock Weir is about 3 km from the main village, and is a quiet, attractive harbour where you will want to linger absorbing the atmosphere, although in summer you will probably find lots of other people with the same idea.

The ancient Submerged Forest of Porlock: One unusual site in Porlock, only visible at low tide, is the remains of trees dating from about 8,000 years ago. Just off Porlock Beach, in an area that was once dense forest and is now usually underwater, we can still see the tree stumps remaining from those ancient forests.

Popular outdoor activities with visitors to Porlock include walking, cycling and fishing, all of which are available 'on your doorstep'. You can follow the Hawkcombe Valley for a pleasant walk up to Exmoor, while the village is centrally placed for exploring all of the northern part of the Exmoor National Park.

To the west of the village, the main road climbs Porlock Hill - a very steep road reaching gradients of 25%, said to be the steepest main road in Britain. My earliest memory of Porlock is of this road, when I was cycling through northern Exmoor. I (ambitiously as it turned out) though it would be difficult to cycle up. Understatement - I could barely push my bike up, let alone ride! There is a toll road that enables cars (and bikes) avoid this very steep section.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Exmoor guide and the Somerset guide.