Great weather in Somerset today, painting Minehead at it’s best. On a couple of earlier visits it’s lived down to it’s status as a pleasant but nondescript seaside resort, comparable to a Cleethorpes or Ayr, but it shone today.
In the sun, the shapes and colours of Exmoor meeting the sea came through, and the walks to nearby Dunster were very picturesque. Even the steam railway, not a favourite thing of mine, looked superb.
Dunster itself has some terrific views from the National Trust castle at the top of the hill, but even better was the ancient High Street, a match for Alfriston or Steyning, with a gem of an ancient inn – the Luttrell Arms, being a very cosy place for an afternoon Otter (NBSS 3.5).
Minehead has a workmanlike High Street, with some very busy cafes and restaurants today, but it’s two Beer Guide pubs were the stars. The outlying Kildare Lodge is a beautiful small hotel with Arts & Craft styling, and again provided a great advert for Otter, a beer I find inconsistent outside of it’s homeland.
The Old Ship Aground is a Minehead stalwart, a superb seafront local selling plenty of a slightly chilled but fruity Boondoggle (NBSS 3) in, again, a very comfortable and unpretentious house.
Minehead isn’t overpubbed, and the Spoons was frankly too rammed to fairly assess it, but these solid locals, combined with some good cafes and chippies made it felt like an ideal short break. And we didn’t even make it to Butlins.
My memory of being in Minehead about four years ago was a pub that served (on keg) two or three McEwan’s beers! Odd. I think I ended up having a Fosters.
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Minehead is nicer than many people give it credit for – it’s overlooked by a scenic headland and the old village up the hill and the area round the harbour are characterful. The gasworks by the harbour has fortunately long since disappeared.
Only been there the once, about 20 years ago. Not much memorable on the pub front. I do remember having a rather tough steak in the Kildare Lodge, which is a very distinctive building. Also had some pre-nitro keg bitter (probably Worthington) in what is now Spoons.
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The Spoons is also one of their hotels; didn’t see a lot of other accommodation but guess Butlins is what it’s all about.
NB I quite miss real Worthington
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