Why the Southwest 660 is the English coast at its finest
The southern side of the Bristol Channel is one of the most attractive coastlines in Britain, easily accessible and yet still relatively little-visited, especially outside school holidays. With the bounties of both sea and land, it’s also a foodie paradise, as Sophie Ibbotson discovered.
The key to this long weekend is to escape work as early as you can on a Thursday and head west: the pace of life (and travel) slows once you’ve left the motorway behind. The Southwest 660 starts in Poole in Dorset and ends in Watchet, Somerset, but it’s divided into roughly 50-mile sections suitable for shorter trips, and there’s no reason you can’t drive it counter-clockwise. For my much-needed long weekend I chose sections 12-11-10 .
Rick Stein made Padstow famous, but foodies looking for a feast without a crowd know to head to The Pig at Harlyn Bay. Parts of the grand stone house date from the 15th century, making it one of the oldest in Cornwall, and when you roll up the drive and into the hall, you feel like a guest arriving at a weekend house party. If you arrive in daylight hours, take a guided tour of the kitchen garden and meet the pigs: nearly everything on the menu is sourced from within 25 miles.
The next day, allow plenty of time for The Pig’s lavish breakfast before hitting the road and driving east along Section 10 of the Southwest 660. Tintagel is dramatic in any weather, but you’ll want a fine day to fully appreciate the beauty of the island and nearby Bideford Bay, exploring this stretch of coastline in the footsteps of King Arthur and Rudyard Kipling.
Take a break at Wellington in Boscastle (wellingtonhotelboscastle.com), owned by the St Austell Brewery. This picturesque village’s natural harbour is cared for by the National Trust and it’s an easy if blustery walk from the pub to the Elizabethan quay,
Where to stay on the Southwest 660
Spend tonight at Farmers Arms, Woolsery, near Clovelly. The Collective has revitalised this north Devon village, taking over the pub, village shop and post office, and fish and chip shop, all of which are supplied by nearby Birch Farm. The charming rooms and cottages have a sought after One-Key Michelin rating and, conveniently, are just a minute or two’s stumble away from the award-winning, plot-to-plate pub.
The rolling waves of north Devon draw countless surfers, but the power of the sea is most visible at Hartland Point. The white lighthouse clings to the cliff, more precariously with each passing year, and there are spectacular views from the path above. You can even spot whales in the Bristol Channel; we looked out to Lundy Island with a rainbow bridging the water.
Plan to arrive in Lynmouth by mid-afternoon so you can ride the Lynmouth & Lynton Cliff Railway (cliffrailwaylynton.co.uk). This remarkable feat of engineering has operated continually since 1890 and is entirely water-powered, earning it a Green Tourism ‘Gold’ award for sustainable tourism. Looking out on the harbour is The Bath Hotel, a Victorian landmark that was originally a salt bath house. The building is a timewarp.
Section 12 of the Southwest 660 takes you lazily along the coast to Watchet, but if you don’t have to rush back home, linger. Visit the imposing Dunster Castle and Watermill, a Saxon hill-fort that became a Norman castle and, latterly, the lavish country home of the Luttrell family. Dunster is now cared for by the National Trust.
Although it requires slightly retracing your steps, it is well worth checking in for a final night at Porlock Weir Hotel (porlockweirhotel.co.uk) on the edge of Exmoor National Park. You can see and hear the crashing of the waves from the harbour-facing rooms, and as Porlock Bay Oysters is located right next door, you can be confident in the freshness of the seafood.