The
hills of Exmoor surround Porlock on three sides, with the heather
covered moors cut by deep, often wooded combes with clear sparkling
streams at their base.
The spectacular
beauty of Exmoor is protected by the Exmoor National Park Authority
and the National Trust, with the flora and fauna on the moor
helped by the award-winning purity of the air. In addition,
Porlock Bay has received EU awards for the cleanliness of the
sea-water. Its unique situation allows Porlock to enjoy a wonderful,
warm and soft climate.
Porlock
is a traditional Exmoor Village with a long history of settlements
existing on or near the site of the existing village, with stone-age
remains only a short distance away. It is also a working village
with shops supplying all that you need, to be found in the High
Street. You will certainly be sure of a friendly Exmoor welcome
in them all. This will be echoed in the pubs, hotels and restaurants
to be found here.
Porlock
Weir, only 2 miles away, is a quaint little harbour with a unique
charm that has to be experienced. It also boasts the remains
of a prehistoric forest, small parts of which are occasionally
visible still at a very low tide, and it was here that some
remains of an Aurochs were found. These are now on display in
the Visitor Centre in Porlock.
The poets
Wordsworth and Coleridge found Porlock very much to their liking
and indeed Coleridge was interrupted by “a man from Porlock”
whilst writing “Kubla Khan”; the consequence of which was that
he lost his inspiration and never completed it. In 1798 their
friend Robert Southey stayed at "The Ship Inn" at
the bottom of Porlock Hill. To commemorate the association with
Coleridge, Porlock is the western end of The Coleridge Way,
the newly established walk from Nether Stowey in the Quantocks
to Exmoor.