The Chapel, Brompton Regis

Local Food Shops

Brompton Regis community run village shop is located a few minutes walk from the chapel – open Mon – Sat 9am to 1pm, it stocks a  good range of  daily basics and local produce.  Dulverton  (5 miles) has a small co operative supermarket alongside a number of independent food retailers,  a deli, butcher and  greengrocers.

Eateries

Dulverton has a variety of places to eat including The Copper Kettle and Tantivy tearooms in the market place as well as the award winning Woods restaurant and pub, and The Bridge Inn.  On the outskirts of Dulverton there is also The Anchor Inn at Exebridge set by the river Exe and Tarr Steps Farm Inn alongside the river Barle and the ancient clapper bridge.
The medieval village of Dunster (10 miles) is well worth a visit and has numerous places to eat including The Luttrell Arms in the high street which caters for both coffee and light lunches in the secret garden (overlooking the castle) , bar snacks or the more formal Psalters restaurant.  Also in Dunster is Reeves restaurant and numerous coffee shops.  In the surrounding area you have The White Horse Inn at Washford  near Cleeve Abbey (advisable to book) and Perriwinkle tearoom at Selworthy (National Trust village) 

Other recommended places to eat include Bittescombe Inn at Upton (6 miles), Spelt restaurant at Bampton (8 miles) and the Lost Kitchen at Chevithorne (13 miles) wood fired dining (booking essential)

Take Aways

Dulverton fish and chip shop and the Tongdam Thai restaurant/takeaway.

Wimbleball Lake and Nature Reserve – 1 mile away – an array of walking and cycling trails around the 530 acre site, fantastic range of water sport activities available from the activity centre as well as fishing.  www.swlakestrust.org.uk/wimbleball-lake.

Exmoor Wildlife Safaris - join a safari and be taken by  Land Rover to discover the real Exmoor – see Exmoor ponies, red deer, birdlife and the flora and fauna of the moors as well as hearing about intriguing local legends.  www.exmoorwildlifesafaris.co.uk.

Cleeve Abbey – English Heritage – 9 miles – fantastic glimpse into medieval life in an almost complete Abbey, a lovely site to take a picnic on a sunny day.  www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/cleeve-abbey.  Open March to November

A number of National Trust properties can be found within a 45 minutes drive - Dunster Castle and Watermill, Knightshayes Court, Killerton House and Arlington Court.

West Somerset Steam Railway – Minehead to Bishop Lydeard - 20 mile track with 11 stations meandering through beautiful countryside and coastlines throughout the year steam festivals and event days are held  .www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk

Lynton and Lynmouth with its Victorian water powered vernacular railway with nearby Valley of the Rocks and Watersmeet – there are some lovely walks in the area that take in both the countryside and coastal area

Allerford Rural Life Museum -   www.allerfordmuseum.org.uk

Exmoor Coaster open top bus from Minehead following the coast to Lynmouth www.firstbus.co.uk/adventures-bus/services/exmoor-coaster   
    
Dulverton and Dunster – pretty market towns with tearooms and shops 

Coast – Porlock Weir, Blue Anchor and Kilve coastal areas well worth a visit and stroll around 

There are cinemas at Minehead, Lynton and Taunton as well as twice a month screenings in Dulverton and theatres in Minehead (The Regal) and Taunton (The Brewhouse).

 Annual Events and Festivals

February	Snowdrop Valley – Wheddon Cross – Private hidden valley covered in a blanket of snowdrops open to the public in February.  A minibus takes you down to the valley bottom where you can enjoy a number of different walks.  
www.wheddoncross.org.uk/snowdrop-valley.and  

August	County shows at Dunster and the village show and gymkhana at Brompton Regis 

October		Two Moors Classical Musical Festival – concerts by renown classical artists in towns and villages on Exmoor and Dartmoor.  www.twomoorsfestival.co.uk

October/November	Exmoor Dark Skies Festival – variety of events in Britains first dark skies reserve – www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk

November	Dulverton Literary Festival – www.visitdulverton.com/dulverton-exmoor-literary festival

December	Dulverton by Starlight – (usually the first Sunday in December) the town is decorated with Christmas trees festooned with lights, shops open late, festive market stalls, street entertainment, live music, and fireworks.

Coastline and Beaches 

The north coast is just a 20 minute drive away - visit Blue Anchor Bay and walk the half mile victorian promenade or the south west coastal path to Minehead and if you dont want to walk back hop on the steam train for the return trip.  

Kilve beach is famous for its fossils . 

Porlock Weir is  very picturesque with a  lovely small harbour and pebble beach with  a pub and cafes as well as a few artisan shops.  A number of walks over the Porlock marshes start from here, routes and details in the chapel

Further down the coast you have the sandy beeches of Woollacombe and Croyde

Just over an hour takes  you to the south coast - book a trip from Exmouth with Stuart Line Cruises and sail down the spectacular jurassic coast or up the estuary into Exeter.  The English Riviera towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham are a short distance further down from Exmouth

Walks:

Wimbleball Lake  has  lots of well sign posted  walks from 1 mile to the spectacular dam,  to walking the full way around the lake about 9 miles  and lots of other trails inbetween.  

Exmoor Explorer trails (all maps and info are in the chapel) including walks taking in Dunkery Beacon, Dunster, Tarr Steps, Doone Valley, Hadden Hill and   Porlock Marshes  these walks range from 1 to 10 miles and are for all abilities.

You will also find in the chapel details of a number of walks that start at the chapel door and include a 1 mile round  short walk taking in the valley floor around the village.  My own favourite walk in the area is a 4 mile walk from the chapel down the pretty valley of Hartford to the bottom of the dam,  a spectacular sight whether the dam is in full flow from the lake or not - you can then choose to come back the same way or climb the dam steps and came back to the chapel via the lake about 5 miles.

 A walking tour around the village  is available taking in the features such as the "Pound" and telling you alittle bit of history about the village of Brompton Regis.

The Coleridge Way and South West Coastal Path walks are nearby as well as the 150 miles of footpaths and bridleways through the National Trusts Holnicote Estate which is a 20 minutes drive away. 

Exmoor is packed with a plethora of fantastic walks through every type of landscape,  moorland, countryside and coastal scenery to suit any ability - lots of maps and information is available in the  chapel for you to plan your day