Exmoor Forest Inn gallery Gallery
Exmoor Forest Inn
Minehead,
Somerset
Inn
+44 (0)1643 831341
Visit owner's website
£125 - £170
per night
Enjoy a local ale or cider near the highest point on Exmoor for grand walking and cycling, with seasonal food and comfortable bedrooms
11 rooms
Rooms sleep 2 – 3
Children welcome
Pets welcome
Your enquiry details
2 Guests 04 Dec 24 - 04 Dec 24
Direct with the owner
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£125 - £170 per night
The Experience
You’re in a valley beside a babbling brook in an old fishing lodge that’s been transformed from a crumbling inn into a warm, light and welcoming space. Walks and cycles start from the door and you can puff up to Dunkery Beacon (1,705 feet) for stunning panoramic views. Return to a friendly bar where walkers rub shoulders with residents and locals and dogs are part of the picture. Funky art adorns the walls, there’s a lounge for sitting by the fire and a dining room for some good home-cooked food.
Head chef Ben uses the freshest organic meat from the owner Ed’s farm, which produces beef, lamb and venison. If you’re staying the night then breakfast is hearty: Hikers full English with a vegetarian version, home baked sourdough, River Exe or home smoked salmon and trout, organic scrambled eggs, yogurt and homemade jams.
In summer enjoy Otter Brewery ales or local gin in the suntrap garden.
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We think you'll love
- The wonderful walks and cycles from the door with grand views over Exmoor
- Visiting pretty Lynmouth or Lynton and discovering their fascinating history
- Returning to such delicious food and comfortable bedrooms
You should know
- Phone signal is intermittent on the moor but the inn has fast broadband inside
- No lunches served on Monday to Wednesday
Essentials
- EV charger
- Swimming pool
- Hot tub
- Garden
- Open fire / woodburner
- Breakfast included
- Breakfast available
- Meals available
- Vegetarian meals
- Parking on premises
- Free parking nearby
- Accessible by public transport
- WiFi
- Spa
- Central heating
- Limited mobility
- Wheelchair access
- Mobile reception
- Hob
- Bar
- Barbecue
- Licensed premises
- Paid parking nearby
- Air conditioning
- Relaxation areas
- Tennis court
- No smoking
- Credit cards
- Working farm
- Owner has pets
- Pets welcome
Family friendly
- Baby monitor
- Books and toys
- Children welcome
- Babies welcome
- Stair gates
- High chair
- Fire guard
- Cot available
Nearby
- Pub/bar within 3 miles
- Restaurant within 3 miles
- Shop within 3 miles
Activities
- Bikes available
- Food courses
- Kayaking
- Other courses
- Sailing
- Surfing
- Wild swimming
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Accommodation
Pricing
- Nightly price
- from £125
- 1 Family room for 3
- £170
- 3 Twin/doubles
- £160
- 7 Doubles
- From £125
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Information
Booking information
- Check in
- 4pm-10pm
- Check out
- 8am-10am
- Other details
- Minimum stay: 2 nights at weekends.
- Closed
- Never.
- No smoking
- Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.
- Property
- This property is part of a working farm or vineyard.
- Meals
- Starters from £7.50. Mains from £15. Sides from £4. Puddings from £7.50. Lunch served Thurs-Sun.
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Location
The neighbourhood
On the side of the only (but very quiet) road and surrounded by trees with uninterrupted views onto the moor, this feels remote indeed. The nearest other places to eat and drink are in Lynton or Lynmouth (9 miles). Dunster village (National Trust) is worth exploring for its medieval buildings and wonderful castle - a half-hour drive. Surfing beaches are 25 miles away, Barnstaple 18 miles.
Local points of interest from Edward Greenall
- Our organic hill farm is home to over 300 wild red deer, some of the largest and most impressive specimens in the UK. October and November is the best time to visit to experience and photograph the rut, when majestic stags battle to claim hinds.
- The Inn was reputed to be a local haunt for smugglers and bandetti (bandits) in the 1800s and inspired R.D. Blackmore in his romance of Exmoor, Lorna Doone. The Inn was the famous setting for the rescue of Tom Faggus, the highwayman, by his mare ‘Winnie’.
- The Simonsbath Festival runs in May and June and attracts fantastic performances (classical music, theatre, concerts, and literary discussion). If your planning to visit then, its well worth checking out what’s going on next door in St Luke’s Church.
- Other local events include the Exford Show, our local agricultural show where you will see the famous Exmoor ponies competing to be best in show and other local rare breeds such as the Exmoor Horn sheep. The show takes place outside Exford every August.
- We welcome dogs and horses to the Inn. Horse livery is available nearby and we can provide contacts for guests to rent horses for trekking on the moor. Horse tie up and hay nets can be arranged whilst guests are having lunch.
- Our head chef Ben, is an enthusiastic forager and we periodically arrange foraging workshops followed by a culinary feast. We can also help arrange foraging walks for our guests with an experienced guide.
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Introducing
Edward Greenall
Ed the landlord, is also a farmer, plus a doctor in emergency medicine at Plymouth hospital. He's charming and extremely friendly. He took over the inn in May 2021 and transformed it. His farm surrounds the pub and he breeds pedigree Galloways and Aberdeen Angus cross cows and Scottish Blackface sheep. Manager Jess has a hospitality background - she and a small team look after you very well indeed.
Recharge your batteries with great views, big skies, amazing food and poor phone signal. It's lovely...and I'll be going back with my bike or walking boots.