From windswept cliffs to historic harbours, the Exmoor coast has become a star in its own right – appearing in acclaimed TV dramas, period pieces, feature films and music videos. It has also been the inspiration for romantic poets and authors. This coast offers the perfect escape for film fans, and lovers of unspoilt scenery alike

Cannington

Somerset hedge layer Paul Lamb went viral with his films on social media and published his first book in 2025, Of Thorn & Briar: A Year with the West Country Hedge Layer, about his life and work in the area.  Admire his skill at Blackmore Farm, then treat yourself to coffee and cake, or lunch at the farm shop cafe.

 

Burton

Before you book your next camping trip get a preview of Burton Springs Holidays, stars of Perfect Pitch (2021) in episode 20. The judges set out to find their perfect site and try their hand at fishing and axe throwing, then take the West Somerset Railway, passing through Crowcombe Heathfield Station, to visit the weekly summer market at Watchet.

 

Nether Stowey and The Quantock Hills

• The Winter King (2023) is a ten-part historical drama based on Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles The crew used Tropiquaria Zoo as their base for shooting on the Quantocks.
• The 2009 film Sisters Grimm is set in 1815 England. Esmeralda Grimm and her half-sister Fancy are shipwrecked and land at Watchet Harbour before setting out across the Quantocks on their journey home to the House of Grimm (Quantock Lodge). It also features Blackmore Farm, Kilve Beach and Crowcombe, and the author of this article galloping a horse over the hills at the start.
• Pandaemonium (2001) is a film about the relationship between Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth starring Linus Roache and John Hannah. Much was filmed on the Quantock Hills and Exmoor, including shots of Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station in the background!
• The Belstone Fox (1973) is the tale of a wily fox, Tag, filmed on the Quantocks, Over Stowey, Aisholt, Spaxton and Exmoor, using many local people.
• Martin Hesp, local journalist, author and broadcaster, wrote The Last Broomsquire, an 18th-century story about the hanging of John Walford, based on the Quantock Hills.
• Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge first visited Nether Stowey in 1794 during a walking tour of Somerset, where he met Thomas Poole, a local tanner and philanthropist who became a close friend and supporter. On New Year’s Eve 1796 Coleridge moved into a small, damp cottage in Nether Stowey, found for him by Poole, with his wife Sara and their young son Hartley. He wrote several of his major works there, including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Frost at Midnight and This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison. From this base he and poet William Wordsworth would take long walks across the Quantock Hills to Porlock and beyond. It is said that one such walk inspired the setting for Coleridge’s famous poem, Kubla Khan, which he began writing after a vivid opium-influenced dream, reportedly interrupted by “a person on business from Porlock”.

To do

• Visit the National Trust Coleridge Cottage to find out about their life and enjoy coffee and cake.
• Go to the Thomas Poole Library and see the fascinating collection of Coleridge’s books and learn about the local area.
• Follow their footsteps on the Coleridge Way, a 51 mile footpath from Nether Stowey to Porlock Weir, passing Alfoxton Park where Wordsworth lived in 1797. It is now a Triratna Buddhist land-based retreat centre.
• Explore Tropiquaria, a unique zoo located in an old radio station and meet their latest addition, Bode the bobcat.
• Book a guided tour of Blackmore Farm led by the knowledgeable owner.
• Roam the peaceful, unspoilt Quantock Hills and look out for the resident ponies and red deer.

 

Kilve

• The ruins of the abandoned silk mill at Holford and the beach at Kilve star in Bryan Adams song (Everything I Do) I Do It for You, which was the theme for the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves movie and sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.
• The Quantocks, local villages, people and beaches at Kilve and Stolford were also used in the music video by Swing Out Sister, Forever Blue.

To do

• Hunt for fossils on the pebbly Jurassic beach.
• Stop off at the Chantry Tea Gardens for a cream tea or The Hood Arms for a fabulous lunch or supper.

 

Watchet

Kevin McCloud’s Man Made Homes (2013) Series two, episode one, shows Kevin finding the perfect hilltop site near Watchet to relocate his cabin and create his seaside home. Watch to get a great preview of this remarkable coast.

To do

• Visit the waterfall at St Audries, where Kevin took a shower.
• Go to Watchet harbour to look at the seven-foot bronze sculpture of the Ancient Mariner. It is said that Watchet provided inspiration for Coleridge for his famous poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

 

Dunster and Bossington

• Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Series five, episode one (2022), features the trusty duo driving through Dunster before visiting the Deli where Belinda advises on heart-healthy food, and gets asked by Bob Mortimer if he is too fat for pasties and ice lollies. They then head off to the wide open, peaceful Bossington Beach for a spot of fishing and on viewing the Bristol Channel Paul Whitehouse says, “it looks like the Med.” They spotted a porpoise, enjoyed their pasties and then took a dip in the calm water.
• George Clarke’s National Trust Unlocked goes behind the scenes at Dunster Castle in its second episode in 2020. It was also used in Flog It! as the location for some of Paul Martin’s pieces to camera for the 13th series in 2014.
• In the 1995 adaptation of The Famous Five, the village of Bossington was used as Kirrin Village and Lower House as Kirrin Cottage, the home of George and her family.
• David Suchet stars as Poirot in A Cornish Mystery (1990), which uses Dunster as the Cornish Village, Polgarwith, showing the High Street, Yarn Market and Castle. Blue Anchor Railway Station was used as Polgarwith Station and the Luttrell Arms was the Bull Hotel.
• I see a Dark Stranger is a 1946 British World War II spy film that features Dunster as the fictional Devon village of Wynbridge Vale and includes shots of Dunster Castle Hotel, doubling as the George Hotel, the High Street and the Yarn Market.

To do

• Buy a pasty from the Dunster Deli and explore this unbelievably picturesque village, Yarn Market, independent shops and enjoy a cream tea or lunch in one of the cafés or pubs.
• Visit Dunster Castle, Watermill and Gardens.
• Stay over at one of the many historic hotels. Choose room 12 at the Luttrell Arms and you’ll see the intricate carving of the myth of Diana and Actaeon that featured in Poirot. Join one of the special interest breaks at the Yarn Market Hotel or stay in one of the luxury rooms at the Dunster Castle Hotel.
• Explore Bossington Beach, which can be seen in The Salt Path.

 

Crowcombe Heathfield, Williton and Minehead Stations

• It is reported that Williton became Lessborough station and Minehead doubled as St Michel de Maurienne in the 2004 BBC four-part production of He Knew He Was Right.
• The 1998 film, The Land Girls, starring Rachel Weisz, Catherine McCormack and Anna Friel, used Crowcombe Heathfield station as Bamford and also features the West Somerset Railway.
• The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988) series shows the children departing from London (Minehead station) and arriving in the country at Crowcombe Heathfield station.
• Minehead Station features in series three (1978) of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, appearing at the end of episode three Scottish Dancing.
• The 1977 children’s TV series Flockton Flyer was filmed on the West Somerset Railway.
• In 1964 the Beatles visited Minehead, which was included in their first film, A Hard Day’s Night. They also shot at Crowcombe Heathfield Station, where Ringo rides a bike on the platform. There is a fascinating article by Tim King and great photos about the effect this had on the local population here.

To do

• Ride the West Somerset Railway, the longest heritage railway in England, stopping off at any of the picturesque stations.

 

Minehead, Porlock Weir and Exmoor

• The Salt Path, launched in the UK in 2025, tells the true story of Raynor and Moth Winn, played by Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Based on Raynor’s bestselling book, it portrays the struggles they face and the healing power of nature. This beautiful film shows them setting off on their journey from Minehead, to Culvercliffe Walk, North Hill, Bossington (look out for the twisty trees on Porlock Marsh), Porlock Weir and onwards through Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.
• In 2018 the BBC mini-series A Very English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, used Exmoor when shooting a nighttime scene with Porlock Weir in the distance.
• The Merchant Ivory Production of the Feast of July (1995) is a crime film that features Porlock Weir as Selmouth, the harbour, cottages and the Porlock Weir Hotel as The Eight Bells Hotel (which was orange in the film).
• The children’s TV series (1989-1994) Maid Marian and Her Merry Men features Exmoor National Park, woods near Porlock and Cleeve Abbey.
• The TV movie adaptation of The Return of the Native (1994), based on the novel by Thomas Hardy, was filmed primarily in Exmoor National Park.
• The 1988 Mike and the Mechanics moving music video The Living Years was filmed on the coast at Porlock Weir and features Exmoor and Culbone (St Beuno’s) Church, said to be the smallest parish church in England, which sits on the South West Coast Path (SWCP). It also includes views over the Porlock Harbour from room six at the Porlock Weir Hotel.

To do

• Walk the 64-mile King Charles the III England Coast Path in Somerset as an easier alternative to the SWCP. It’s relatively flat and starts in Brean and runs to Minehead, where it joins the SWCP and the hills begin!
• Stay at the Porlock Weir Hotel and enjoy fantastic views over the bay.

 

Minehead, Watchet, Blue Anchor, Dunster, Exmoor, and Porlock Weir

The Channel 5 series Somerset: Wonder of the West Country (season one, 2024) featured many coastal locations. Tour the sites below which were shown in the programmes and maybe meet some of the characters:

• Enjoy Styles Ice cream from one of the many coastal cafes including the parlour at Minehead Station, or from their unique solar-powered vans which you will find in the summer at Crowcombe Park Gate, at the top of Porlock Hill (amazing views across Exmoor to the sea) or Blue Anchor.
• Join the Quantock Belle dining train on the West Somerset Railway from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead.
• Stroll on Blue Anchor beach and stop for an ice cream at the 1930s Driftwood Café.
• Visit Minehead, a classic bucket and spade town and the famous resort of Butlin’s.
• Explore Dunster Castle and subtropical gardens or the summer Dunster Show.
• Go on an Exmoor Wildlife Safari for an off-road adventure that runs year-round – the Red Deer Safari was featured.
• Explore the historic harbour town of Watchet and stay in one of the quirky pods at East Quay with great views over the channel.
• Explore Exmoor, see the unique Exmoor ponies and climb to the highest point at Dunkery Beacon.
• Wander round the small hamlet of Porlock Weir, complete with pub, stylish hotels, tea rooms, galleries, a small boat museum and enjoy the finest seafood at The Kitchen @ Porlock Bay Oysters.

 

More Literary Connections

James Crowden lives in Somerset and is a prolific author and poet, his poetry has often been featured on BBC Radio 4 and television. He wrote Literary Somerset, which includes many writers and poets who either lived or had connections with this coast, including:

• Dorothy Wordsworth, author, poet and diarist who kept The Alfoxden Journal in 1798, while staying with her brother William.
• Thomas Hardy’s 1881 novel A Laodicean is set in the town of Markton, which is widely understood to be a fictionalised version of Dunster, it also features Stancy Castle.
• In 1912, novelist Virginia Woolf honeymooned in Holford at the Plough Inn, which is still open today.
• In 1917, science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke was born in Minehead at Blenheim Road. The house bears a blue plaque in his honour.
• Robert Southey, biographer and poet laureate, wrote the original story of Goldilocks and a sonnet, Porlock, when staying at the Ship Inn, in Porlock.  Visit the pub, enjoy a drink and read the sonnet on the wall in Poets Corner.
• Acclaimed novelist Margaret Drabble has a home in coastal West Somerset and is the author of numerous books, including The Witch of Exmoor.
• Penelope Lively’s novel Going Back is set in a fictional country house near Minehead.

 

To discover more stories about this remarkable coast visit our friendly, knowledgeable information centres.

• Watchet Visitor Centre
• Dunster National Park Centre
• Porlock Information Centre

 

A massive thank you to everyone who shared their stories for this article including Caroline (Bossington Taxis), Antony and Sue (Yarn Market Hotel), John and Lisa (Dunster Castle Hotel), Belinda (The Deli in Dunster), Jill (Red Park Equestrian), Daphne (Exmoor Wildlife Safaris), Vicky Banham (Teasel Words), Becca (Luttrell Arms Hotel), Robbie (Palm Tree Films), Jenn (Burton Springs Holidays), Caitlin, Ava and Jason at Premier, Chris (Tropiquaria), Mark (Screen Somerset) and Fiona and Laura (West Somerset Railway).  Thanks also to Black Bear Pictures and Palm Tree Films for allowing us to use their images. Apologies if I’ve missed anyone out, but thank you to them too.

Researched, written and compiled by Nell Barrington, May 2025. Please get in contact if there are more TV, Film or Literary connections that should be included.

 

This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with Somerset Council being the lead local authority for UKSPF in Somerset.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, click here.